OFF. It's not just for killing bugs anymore...

In my usual format of regurgitating information from other, more reputable news sources on the Internet, I present to you OFF. OFF or Owner Free Filing System is a new P2P application as well as a system in which to provide sanctuary from litigious bastards.

In their own words:

“Basic synapsis: The Owner Free Filesystem (OFF) is a system in which all files inserted are given several additional representations via multiple use encoding and exhibit a digital state of being that has depreciated the file’s status to “ownerless” and no longer belonging to one person. A file inserted into OFF will intrinsically become part of several other files, and a block’s (see technical details) representation depends solely on its coupling with other blocks. This is known as a ‘brightnet’ where nothing held within an “OFF Cache” can be considered copyright infringing, and thus can be shared and traded freely without fear of repercussions.”

I love this idea, and really hope we can find a way to share files again, without fear of the legal ramifications. However, the issue here is that the people making and enforcing the law are also the people loose money with information is shared freely on the Internet.

The folks over at The Big Hack wrote a funny letter about this subject.

ARRRRRRGGGGGG!!!!

**Update**

What you're missing:
Before you do anything, you pass a large amount of data, which is hashed into 128k chunks.

When you go to 'get a copy' of something, those 128k chunks are rearranged according to the new content. Not actually copied, but arranged so that they identically resemble the file you're after. Much of the data you get isn't even downloaded - as such, there's very little evidence of your transaction.

Say you don't have chunks that match the hashes you're after; that's fine. You download those chunks from other peoples stuff; their music collection, their wedding photos, the novels they're working on.

How are they arranged? Well, for a given file, there's the data and the recipe. You download the recipe - which could also be data if it matches another recipe - and your computer arranged your data and that of others into the file you're after.

So, no, it's not technically copying.

Also, it's not very detectable, and theoretically uses less bandwidth the more you hoarde.

To be honest, I think it's a quantum leap in P2P technology.