Warner Bros. Trying Out P2P in Germany

The studio giant is betting that movies offered via P2P will help reduce piracy

Warner Bros. is starting to realize that P2P is too large a force to just be ignored and brushed off. So WB is trying a new approach for selling movies and TV programming, selling shows and movies atreasonable prices on P2P services. The service is set to launch in Germany during March with German-dubbed versions of films and is being called In2Movies. It’s being co-developed with Bertelsmann AGand its subsidiary Arvato.

The service works in a way similar to BitTorrent rather than Kazaa or Limewire, with users who have already downloaded the file helping out with bandwidth. Warner is using Arvato’s new software GNABto allow delivery of content. By using GNAB, Warner is adding in extra security features to reduce the risk of films being pirated. Consumers buying copies of movies through In2Movies will be able toauthorize a set amount of computers that the movies will be able to play on, similar to Apple’s iTunes Music Store service.

In2Movies looks to be the first real solution to solve P2P pirating of copyrighted films, but the question is will people choose a digital film download service? There’s the question of DRM andpeople wanting full access to their movies. Competition is also something Warner is taking into account with DVDs sales still going strong and Deutsche Telekom’s internet movie service. Warner Bros.maybe be on to something, but only time will tell whether or not In2Movies will work.