Download This PaperDigital Business Models for Peer-to-Peer Networks: Analysis and Economic Issues
27 Pages Posted: 18 Jul 2006
Date Written: June 2006
Abstract
Peer-to-peer (P2P) services allow users to share networked resources, notably bandwidth and content, from the edges of the network. These services have been popularized because of file sharing - particularly the sharing of unlicensed copyrighted files. Concerns about such P2P file sharing were highlighted by content owners' recent lawsuits against individual users and P2P network operators.
However, content owners are increasingly exploring the ability of peer-to-peer networks to accommodate legitimate content distribution and promotion. In this article we review the economic characteristics of P2P networks and outline the implications of these characteristics on efforts to counteract illegal piracy and on potential uses of P2P networks in a commercial media distribution strategy.
Keywords: Peer-to-peer networks, digital business models, public goods, club goods, free riding
JEL Classification: D69, D82, D83, H41, L8, L26, O30
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
An Empirical Analysis of Network Externalities in Peer-to-Peer Music Sharing Networks
By Atip Asvanund, Karen Clay, ...
-
The Economics of Peer-to-Peer Networks
By Ramayya Krishnan, Michael D. Smith, ...
-
Charismatic Code, Social Norms, and the Emergence of Cooperation on the File-Swapping Networks
-
Optimal Investment in Knowledge within a Firm Using a Market Mechanism
By Sulin Ba, Jan Stallaert, ...
-
Peer-to-Peer File Sharing and the Market for Digital Information Goods
-
Free Riding on Altruism and Group Size
By Jean Hindriks and Romans Pancs
-
A Resource-Based Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Technology
By Oleg V. Pavlov and Khalid Saeed
-
Network Cooperation and Incentives within Online Communities