Instant access to an endless supply of movies and music delivered directly to your computer has just moved one step closer to reality.
The Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Pictures Association of America -- the trade groups responsible for the majority of new movies and music in America -- have recently collaborated with researchers working on high speed internet technology to research new content distribution and digital rights management technologies.
"We primarily think that the content and technology industries have a mutual interest in working together," MPAA spokesperson Gayle Osterberg said.
The Internet2 -- a countrywide consortium of colleges and other research institutions -- was initially created for the purpose of collaborative research and sharing findings and other academic data at speeds unavailable on the public Internet.
A major component of the consortium is the high speed "Abilene" network that connects many of its members, including Penn.
This network differs from the Internet in that access is restricted to users logging on from these research locations. The upshot is that users are able to connect to and transfer files to each other at much higher speeds, making the Internet2 an ideal platform for peer-to-peer file sharing of media files for college students.
However, spokeswomen for both the RIAA and the MPAA have said that they have no immediate plans to utilize the high speed Abilene network to distribute legal media.
Nonetheless, both associations said that given their working relationship with the Internet2 community, using the Abilene network to offer a premium media download service for university students was certainly a possibility for the future.
In fact, many Penn students have already used the Internet2 for file-sharing using a program called i2hub. The software allows them to connect to other college students across the country over the Abilene network, and share media files on their hard drives.
However, i2hub and its users ran into legal difficulties earlier this year when it became apparent that the software was being used to illegally share copyrighted media such as songs and movies.
A wave of lawsuits aimed at college students has discouraged most Penn students from using the Internet2 to share files.
However, if the RIAA and MPAA do eventually decide to use the Abilene network as a legitimate distribution channel, Penn students will have the opportunity to legally obtain music and movies at high speeds from the Internet2.
Even with better technology and higher download speeds, it remains to be seen whether students will warm up to the idea of paying for music or movies online.
"Students have been avoiding legal downloading services because they don't fit in well with the way they want to obtain their music," said Penn marketing professor Peter Fader. "It's not a technology problem, it's a marketing problem. They have to stop alienating customers."
