[FairOpinion]

So how about having to enter a password to download it?

I think there are a lot of things they could do short of destroying people's computers.

Just as when you go to carfax to check a used car, you can pay and they let you request 10 or 15 checks. Why can't they do something similar. People can pay so much for so many song titles, or movies, whatever and the site keeps track of the number of downloads from that password, when they reach their limit, the password expires. And of course those without a password couldn't get in to download anything.

Sure everything can be hacked, but this kind of simple stuff would stop 90% of the people.

Then they should go after sites, which allow free downloading without paying and shut down those sites.

[adam_az]

"So how about having to enter a password to download it?"

It just doesn't work that way - it's not people downloading it from "web sites," there is a LOT more to the internet than the "web."

These are programs that talk to other programs and run on peoples home computers - there is no centralized way to do it, and the file formats used are open protocols, like mp3, with no built in protection.

"P2P is a class of applications that takes advantage of resources -- storage, cycles, content, human presence -- available at the edges of the Internet. Because accessing these decentralized resources means operating in an environment of unstable connectivity and unpredictable IP addresses, P2P nodes must operate outside the DNS system and have significant or total autonomy from central servers."

from http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2000/11/24/shirky1-whatisp2p.html