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These programmes will be available pretty much for free, although they will contain a few minutes of advertising to help cover costs (of course:-)

With the BBC also pouring an increasing amount of TV material onto the web I suspect that this is just the start of what will eventually become an important aspect of the future of the Net: IP-based video on demand.

However, you won't be able to just log on and download a large MPEG, Divx, or WMA file to get your TV fix. No, you'll have to install some customised P2P software first.

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Those planning the system say that this is important because it will help avoid the bottlenecks that would occur if everyone were trying to pull large files down from AOL's own servers.

On the surface, this sounds almost believable (although the BBC manages without forcing people to install proprietary software doesn't it?).

The thing that worries me however, is that AOL/Time-Warner is a massive content creator and publisher who is *very* concerned about protecting its intellectual property rights in the music, video and movie industries.

Given the underhanded tricks that members of these industries have already shown themselves willing to employ (ie: Sony's Rootkit fiasco), who's going to trust AOL's software not to include a little "extra" functionality?

How will users know, for instance, that while they're downloading a favourite episode of Welcome Back Kotter, the very code they're using isn't busy rifling through their hard drive and looking for illegal copies of CDs or DVDs?

What's to stop such software from effectively cataloging all your audio and video files then reporting back to members of the RIAA/MPAA -- complete with your personal details?

? Nah, it could never happen -- right?

Just like Sony would never covertly install a Rootkit on your PC it wont!

Of course you might argue that this would be a blatant breach of the USA's anti-spyware laws so would land those responsible in a lot of hot water.

Well ponder on this...

Under US copyright law, consumers have a right to "fair use" which includes the right to make backup copies for personal use. However, the RIAA/MPAA were easily and successfully able to usurp that right by adding copy-protection and DRM which (under the DMCA) it is illegal to circumvent.

Could the right to be free of Spyware also be usurped by the industry's claims that any spyware bundled with the P2P code used for downloads is simply a method of DRM and copy-protection?

The sad truth is that you simply can no longer trust *any* software you install on your PC. Whether it's the work of some enthusiastic amateur, a groovy screensaver downloaded from the Net, or the seemingly innocuous autostart files on an audio CD from a mega-music publisher, there's a very good chance that it'll carry some extra functionality you're not aware of.

I wonder if writing your own software will start coming back into fashion?:-)

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