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The Rationale Behind P2P Network Users

By Brian Choi

An online distribution of copyrighted materials through P2P network is one of major legal issues today. While several P2P users have been fined severely for a violation of a copyright law, an illegal file sharing within the P2P network still continues to thrive, and the effectiveness of the punishment against P2P users is often questioned. In this paper, I examine why P2P networks prosper in spite of government’s heavy punishment schemes. Then I model the optimal decision of the P2P user as a non-cooperative game and find out how effectively legal sanction reduces an illegal online distribution of copyrighted materials.

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Advisor: Huseyin Yildirim

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