Apple has been awarded a patent that would allow users to share music, video, and pictures directly with each other — without having to worry about piracy.
The patent, filed in 2011 and awarded earlier this month, aims to make it substantially easier for iPhone and iPad users to share content with each other, particularly music and video files that come with digital rights restrictions.
The system would likely work in a similar way to AirDrop, which allows Macs, iPhones, and iPads to share documents and other content with other Apple devices. But content that’s protected by digital rights software (DRM) cannot be shared.
Instead of downloading a copy of the file from iTunes, the patent describes how music and video files can be shared (through AirDrop or similar means) with others once they obtain a license.
The patent says this peer-to-peer sharing system has benefits, like reduced bandwidth costs for the content store owners. This means Apple device owners could be incentivized to use the file-sharing system by being offered a license to play the file at a cheaper cost.
Peer-to-peer technology may be used widely by illegal file-sharers, but Apple says in its filing this system may reduce piracy.
苹果公司的专利，可以让用户分享有版权保护的音乐，电影等。苹果的这个技术，可以让用户事先获取版权许可，然后再分享。
