Incentive Mechanisms in Peer-to-Peer Networks — A Systematic Literature Review

Centralized networks inevitably exhibit single points of failure that malicious actors regularly target. Decentralized networks are more resilient if numerous participants contribute to the network’s functionality. Most decentralized networks employ incentive mechanisms to coordinate the participation and cooperation of peers and thereby ensure the functionality and security of the network. This article systematically reviews incentive mechanisms for decentralized networks and networked systems by covering 165 prior literature reviews and 178 primary research papers published between 1993 and October 2022. Of the considered sources, we analyze 11 literature reviews and 105 primary research papers in detail by categorizing and comparing the distinctive properties of the presented incentive mechanisms. The reviewed incentive mechanisms establish fairness and reward participation and cooperative behavior. We review work that substitutes central authority through independent and subjective mechanisms run in isolation at each participating peer and work that applies multiparty computation. We use monetary, reputation, and service rewards as categories to differentiate the implementations and evaluate each incentive mechanism’s data management, attack resistance, and contribution model. Further, we highlight research gaps and deficiencies in reproducibility and comparability. Finally, we summarize our assessments and provide recommendations to apply incentive mechanisms to decentralized networks that share computational resources

Digital piracy : theory

This article reviews recent theoretical contributions on digital piracy. It starts by elaborating on the reasons for intellectual property protection, by reporting a few facts about copyright protection, and by examining reasons to become a digital pirate. Next, it provides an exploration of the consequences of digital piracy, using a base model and several extensions (with consumer sampling, network effects, and indirect appropriation). A closer look at market-structure implications of end-user piracy is then taken. After a brief review of commercial piracy, additional legal and private responses to end-user piracy are considered. Finally, a quick look at emerging new business models is taken.information good, piracy, copyright, IP protection, internet, peer-to-peer, software, music

Digital Piracy: Theory

This article reviews recent theoretical contributions on digital piracy. It starts by elaborating on the reasons for intellectual property protection, by reporting a few facts about copyright protection, and by examining reasons to become a digital pirate. Next, it provides an exploration of the consequences of digital piracy, using a base model and several extensions (with consumer sampling, network effects, and indirect appropriation). A closer look at market-structure implications of end-user piracy is then taken. After a brief review of commercial piracy, additional legal and private responses to end-user piracy are considered. Finally, a quick look at emerging new business models is taken.information good, piracy, copyright, IP protection, internet, peer-to-peer, software, music

An Analysis of incentives mechanisms and evaluation on BitTorrent

Since the first peer-to-peer communities appeared, their number of users has increased considerably owing to the benefits they offer compared to their alternative architectures in the sharing and distribution of multimedia content. However, due to its distributed nature, they can suffer an important problem of misuse: free-riding. Free-riding consists on users consuming resources without contributing to the system. Such behaviour not only is not fair for the rest of the users, but also threatens the success of this type of nets. With the motivation to avoid free-riding, the mechanisms of incentives were born. They provide the system with a method to motivate the nodes and make them share their resources with the other users. In one word, they provide the net with the needed fairness to achieve a good performance for all users. This thesis is organised in two main parts. In the first part there is a comprehensive study of the state of the art regarding the incentive mechanisms, resulting in a classification depending on the characteristics of the studied algorithms. That study provides the reader with a first sight of the strengths and weaknesses of each algorithm. In the second part there is a test scenario based in the virtualization of machines that was useful to evaluate empirically some of the studied algorithms. Finally, a series of experiments were carried out in order to compare some characteristics of these algorithms and thus verify or deny the conclusions resulted in the study of the state of the art

A framework for the dynamic management of Peer-to-Peer overlays

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applications have been associated with inefficient operation, interference with other network services and large operational costs for network providers. This thesis presents a framework which can help ISPs address these issues by means of intelligent management of peer behaviour. The proposed approach involves limited control of P2P overlays without interfering with the fundamental characteristics of peer autonomy and decentralised operation. At the core of the management framework lays the Active Virtual Peer (AVP). Essentially intelligent peers operated by the network providers, the AVPs interact with the overlay from within, minimising redundant or inefficient traffic, enhancing overlay stability and facilitating the efficient and balanced use of available peer and network resources. They offer an “insider‟s” view of the overlay and permit the management of P2P functions in a compatible and non-intrusive manner. AVPs can support multiple P2P protocols and coordinate to perform functions collectively. To account for the multi-faceted nature of P2P applications and allow the incorporation of modern techniques and protocols as they appear, the framework is based on a modular architecture. Core modules for overlay control and transit traffic minimisation are presented. Towards the latter, a number of suitable P2P content caching strategies are proposed. Using a purpose-built P2P network simulator and small-scale experiments, it is demonstrated that the introduction of AVPs inside the network can significantly reduce inter-AS traffic, minimise costly multi-hop flows, increase overlay stability and load-balancing and offer improved peer transfer performance

Five essays on copyright in the digital era

This dissertation aims to give a detailed view of how well copyright law is working in the digital environment and how its future looks. The work starts by giving the reader a primer on two central topics in the dissertation, i.e., an overview of technological developments that have changed once again the environment of copyright law work and the economic background of copyright and IPRs. Different methodological approaches are also discussed e.g. how behavioral law and economics and public choice theory should be utilized pertaining to copyright regulation. The main research questions, which are covered in the five original articles, are: Do technical protection measures (TPMs) help to solve the impending demise of copyright? Is the legal enforcement of copyright possible in current or future digital environments? What is the role of social norms in the future of copyright? Regarding the first question, the dissertation argues that the once-prevailing vision of copyright that was based on the belief that without legally technological protection measures, right holders would not release their content to digital distribution has not really turned out to be true. In the contrary, the opposition from the users and profound technical problems have marginalized TPMs in music stores in more advanced markets (i.e. USA) and same development is likely to happen in other categories of works. The answer to second question indicates a more profound problem if the copyright holders cannot prevent unlicensed use of their works, the economic rationale of copyright disappears. The dissertation argues that the foreseeable technical development in digital communication and storage technologies will lead to that result with very high likelihood at least among more consumer-oriented works (music, video), which are typically consumed in the privacy of homes. At the same time the development will make current levy-based systems infeasible general tax for technology. The final question continues from the point where enforcement stops. Social norms may substitute legal norms, which are based on strong enforcement. The dissertation argues that there are positive examples from open source development that which indicate that this approach may be feasible for copyright

Resistance commons : file-sharing litigation and the social system of commoning

textThis dissertation is an investigation into the practice of peer-to-peer file-sharing and the litigation campaign targeting individual file-sharers carried out by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) from 2003 to 2008. The competing conceptualizations of social relations which motivate the conflict over peer-to-peer file-sharing are explored using a combination of Autonomist Marxist theory and structuration theory. Peer-to-peer file-sharing is framed as part of the social system of commoning stemming from the recent ascendancy of immaterial labor within that sector of the economy dedicated to the production and distribution of informational and cultural goods. The RIAA litigation campaign is framed as a reaction to the emergence of new forms of social relations which are seen by the content-producing industries as subversive of revenue streams premised on commodity exchange in informational and cultural goods. The history of the RIAA litigation campaign is presented in detail with careful attention given to those instances in which defendants and other interested parties fought back against RIAA legal actions. The acts of resistance within the legal arena affected the ultimate potential of the litigation campaign to control the spread of file-sharing activities. Subsequent legal campaigns which have been based on the RIAA litigation model are also examined. These later file-sharing cases have been met with similar forms of resistance which have likewise mitigated the impact of legal efforts to combat file-sharing. In addition, a survey of file-sharers is included in this research as part of an attempt to understand the relationship between legal actions targeting peer-to-peer systems and individual file-sharers and the technological and social development of peer-to-peer systems. This research argues that file-sharing litigation has proven ineffective in turning back the flood of file-sharing and may have increased the technological sophistication and community ties among file-sharers. In the end, the conflict over peer-to-peer file-sharing is cast as a manifestation of a larger dynamic of capitalist crisis as content-producing industries attempt to come to terms with the contradictory tendencies of immaterial labor and the production of common pools of digital resources.Radio-Television-Fil

A Critical Engagement with Piratical Opinion

A study of the intellectual property crime commonly known as ‘file sharing’ using the file sharing websites on which users display their activity and post comments. As a guide I will use a meta-theoretical framework first developed by Roger Sibeon and then expanded by Tim Owen to help focus the research through a post-postmodern return to sociological and criminological theory. This research also acknowledges a physical/biological component to all intangibility, internet and computer related activity and tries to build further a relationship between the physical and intangible spheres of existence. It is acknowledged here that individuals are not predetermined to commit certain actions because they are biologically programmed to do so, rather that genes can influence behaviour and behaviour can influence genes