BayTSP, a provider of online intellectual property monitoring systems, has announced FirstSource, an automated system that identifies the first users to upload copyright content to the eDonkey and BitTorrent Peer-To-Peer (P2P) networks.
Identifying the first individuals who upload illegal content allows organisations such as MPAA and RIAA to track all subsequent users who download and share a particular file. The service monitors for the first uploads of some intellectual property, such as a movie, to the eDonkey and BitTorrent networks. When the service spots a file matching the copyright holders content, it downloads a sample to confirm that the file is what it appears to be. Once the content is validated, the system captures the IP address details of other users downloading and sharing the same pirated material.
Initial tests of the FirstSource service showed that several thousand copies of the Tom Cruise movie Collateral were available for download on the BitTorrent network and details of the individual who uploaded the initial file, and those who are downloading it currently, are traceable.
Mark Ishikawa, CEO of BayTSP said,
"Pirated copies of movies and software typically appear online within hours of release. Identifying and taking action against the first uploaders can greatly slow the distribution of illegally-obtained intellectual property and might make users think twice before doing it."
eDonkey and BitTorrent are two of the most popular file sharing networks used for illegal downloads and allow users to download slices of a file from multiple other users simultaneously, to speed up the download process. As users download a file, they also share the portions they've already received.