This post is part of a series on the US House of Representatives hearing on P2P.

1. U.S. Witch Hunt

2. Who Stole My P2P Cheese

3. What the Feds Say

4. The Industry Talks

5. Clark Wants Gov. Regulation


The annual US government witch hunt took place this week. The US House of Representatives (HR) Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for conducted a Hearing on Inadvertent File Sharing over Peer-to-Peer Networks

The session was presided over by Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, known for his staunch Hollywood support.

Witnesses included the US Patent and Trademark Office's (PTO) Tom Sydnor, the US Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Mary Engle, the US Department of Transportation's (DOT) Daniel Mintz, Dartmouth University's Eric Johnson, limewire's Mark Gorton, Tiversa's Bob Boback, and General Wesley Clark.

The script followed that of other years. P2P developers say their policies and software are improved and they can't stop ignorant users. Congressional Committee members recognize that there was value in the technology, express alarm at accidental data disclosures, press companies and the industry to do even better, and recognize that self-regulation not legislation is the solution.

The only thing noticeably different was the declining industry representation of open P2P networks as the entertainment industry forces the leading players to change or leave business. Only LimeWire's Mark Gorton spoke for the old P2P vanguard.