Kwansei Gakuin University - School Of Policy Studies

2002 Research Fair Project

To understand P2P and the issues surrounding it, the history of the technology needs to be explained.

In the early days of the internet, the most popular file sharing was the (anonymous) file transfer protocol. An Anonymous FTP server is a server which lets a user to login with using anonymous name to receive file or give file on internet. The user can find the files which they want in anonymous FTP from a server called ARCHIE.

Next, from 1995 to 1997, FTP (file transfer protocol) file sharing and free Homepage file sharing become the major way to share files. By using free Homepage, you are able to upload the files to let people who want it to download the certain file.

Around 1997, Hotline, or ICQ (messenger) become the major way to share files. Messenger is a communication tool on internet which allows you to have chat or electric bulletin board. And in messenger service, there is a category for file sharing.

In 1999, Napster becomes the major way to share files. Napster changed the way of sharing files than before because this service lets peers download music files and also the capacity of it is much greater than other file sharing programs before. If you download the application, you’re able to share files with the peoples who also have the application downloaded in the computer, which means that you’re able to share files with people around the whole world. Due to this merit, about 60 million people were using this in the world and 1 million Japanese were using this application. Because of there were so many Napster users, copyright on music files become a major problem in this application. From this problem, the Napster Company crashed down and the application is no longer useable.

But in 2001, another file sharing application called WinMX have been made. This WinMX lets you share music files and also other files such as pictures, movies, and computer software. The main idea of the application is mostly same as Napter but the function have been improved. Due to the boom of WinMX, there become another problem about copyright, not just music, also on pictures, movies, and computer software. On November, 2001, first WinMX user got arrested by using the application in a wicked way.