Abstract:

Peer to Peer networking is supported by suitable software which enables a computer to locate a content file (text, image, video, sound, software etc.) on another networked device and copy the encoded data to its own hard drive. P2P technology often is used to reproduce and distribute copyrighted content without authorization of rights owners. Except for digital music and video the P2P infrastructure is also used to make and distribute illegal copies of digital content which lies under the protection of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) legislation. For this reason the short history of P2P technology and software has been one of constant controversy by many in the content industry. In the Digital Content Industry area the content owners are feeling even more threatened by the broad and unregulated exchange of digital content in P2P environments.
As a general protection measure for copyright violations through digital technologies including P2P, copyright owners often uses digital watermarking techniques to encrypt and watermark content or otherwise Digital Rights Management technologies to restrict access, totally blocking digital content to be accessed through the Internet and the P2P software infrastructure.
This paper claims that watermarking, Digital Rights Management (DRM) and P2P can be quite complementary. Specifically, a P2P network infrastructure is presented which allows broad digital content exchange while on the same time supports copyright protection and management through watermarking technologies. In brief, the platform is functioning mainly for digital images and is tracking all the watermarked image files which are distributed and copied through the P2P network. The challenge is the algorithmic complexity of detecting multiple watermarking keys in the P2P network effectively and quickly, especially when thousands of image files are concerned. This is managed by an optimization detection algorithm which allows effective watermarking key detection in optimal P2P hops.
Equivalent systems, which combine watermarking, DRM and P2P technologies do not yet exist in practice but only in theory. Certain methodologies and strategies have been proposed for exploiting P2P technologies in DRM and vice versa The proposed system is setting a new basis for the close cooperation of the two different scientific areas of DRM and P2P aiming at exploiting the distributed computing nature of P2P networks for efficient digital rights protection and management.

Keywords:

Digital Rights Management, Peer 2 Peer Networks, Copyright Protection, Watermarking.