Integrated Copyright Protection in Peer-to-Peer Networks

We propose an integrated copyright- protection scheme for large-scale content delivery over the Internet. We focus on using trust-enhanced peer-to- peer (P2P) networks. Our framework integrates anonymous peer authentication, content poisoning, peer collusion detection and reputation aggregation. Some of the trust and security mechanisms are newly developed and first-time reported. Complementary protection techniques from DRM (digital right management) and watermarking are explored for P2P copyright protection. The proposed integrated system enables large-scale distribution of copyrighted digital content in existing P2P networks such as Gnutella, KaZaA, BitTorrent, eMule, etc. Analytical and simulation results are reported to support the claimed advantages. The reported trust- enhancement mechanisms, gossip aggregation protocol, and experimental results have broader impact to future Internet applications. The copyright-protection system will widen the legal applications of P2P networks in business services, e-commerce, and distance learning, where intellectual property rights are of primary concerns.