August 30, 2005 9:30AM  |
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“Unlike something like BitTorrent, which has server operators that can be found and sued, eDonkey runs on open-source software,” Bernoff noted. “So even though some users on the network might route traffic or perform some functions of a server operator, there’s really no one running the thing.”
 Use of one of the most popular file-sharing protocols, called BitTorrent, has declined in the wake of piracy crackdowns over the past year. But that does not mean file sharing itself has decreased.Instead, many file sharers have moved their activities to other peer-to-peer networks, including open-source network eDonkey, according to a report from Internet analysis firm CacheLogic. Although the BitTorrent network remains extremely popular in Asia, with the exception of South Korea and Japan, the eDonkey system now does the majority of file trading in Europe, North America and Latin America.
Over the past year, CacheLogic has analyzed traffic from file-sharing networks worldwide using network-inspection technologies. In its analysis of traffic data, the firm found that there was a significant shift in the balance of traffic associated with the main P2P protocols. “Over the last six months, the traffic levels for eDonkey protocol have grown to a level greater than that of BitTorrent,” said Andrew Parker, CacheLogic chief technology officer. “Such file-sharing applications continue to be the single largest traffic burden on ISP networks.” The company attributes this shift to global antipiracy efforts, but noted that more needs to be done to quash illegal file-sharing activities.
The shift toward eDonkey from BitTorrent is not surprising, given its decentralized strategy, said Forrester Research analyst Josh Bernoff. “Unlike something like BitTorrent, which has server operators that can be found and sued, eDonkey runs on open-source software ,” Bernoff noted. “So even though some users on the network might route traffic or perform some functions of a server operator, there’s really no one running the thing.” That means enforcement would be difficult, if not impossible. If organizations like the Motion Picture Association of America or the Recording Industry Association of America decide they want to go after the individual users, as they have in the past, tracking them down through an eDonkey network would be challenging, to say the least. “Suing these individuals will be like trying to fight a swarm of bees with a sword,” said Bernoff. |
