P2P Technology and Its Legal and Policy Implications

Prof. Roger Clarke

Wednesday 27 July 2005

1:00 to 2:00 pm, including time for questions .

Room 1201, 12th floor, Library Tower Stage 2
UNSW Kensington campus, Sydney
Map: http://www.unsw.edu.au/maps/kensington.pdf

Abstract:

Conventional client-server architecture has a number of technical deficiencies. In the new context of vast numbers of widely-dispersed, powerful and well-connected devices, an alternative architecture has emerged, which overcomes many of the weaknesses of client-server.

Although it has many potential applications, peer-to-peer architecture has been much-used as a means of reticulating audio and video files, with much of the copying being in breach of the ever-increasing basket of rights that make up copyright.

This presentation focusses primarily on P2P architecture, its features, and its applications. It also identifies issues arising from its use, particularly those that have enraged large corporations whose revenues and profits are dependent on their control over copyright materials.

The presentation draws on the following papers: http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/EC/P2POview.html
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/EC/P2PRes.html

The abstract is at:
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/P2P-LegPol-0507.html

And a draft slide-set is at:
http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/P2P-LegPol-0507.ppt

See also for background, external commentary about the recent Grokster case in the US, from EFF; and the Kazaa case in Sydney, from P2Pnet and SMH. [latter requires rego.]

Roger Clarke is a Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre.

He has spent 35 years in the IT industry, in Australia, the U.K., and Switzerland, including a decade as a senior academic at the A.N.U. In 1995, he returned to full-time consultancy in strategic and policy aspects of eBusiness, information infrastructure, and dataveillance and privacy.

He has provided expert evidence on the information technologies involved in a range of cases. In this presentation, he will include reference to the current music industry v. Kazaa case, in which he was requested to provide evidence by some of the respondents.

Entry is free. If you are coming from off Campus please RSVP to feedback [at] cyberlawcentre.org.