In the U.S., ISPs rampage up and down the hallways screaming about how P2P destroys everything and is a menace to be stopped. The anti-piracy advocates are right behind them, claiming that technologies like torrenting are a scourge. Interestingly, the tale is very different across the ocean. The EU has decided to set aside a sizable chunk of money for the development of open-source P2P technologies.
A new project known as P2P-Next, similar in structure to BitTorrent, will be receiving a large cash injection with the intention of creating a "superior" P2P network that is more appealing to people than other less stable, and perhaps less legal, networks. The team behind the BitTorrent client Tribler is charged with executing the project. Apparently, even European broadcasters are buying into the deal, believing it to be an opportunity rather than a threat to be tackled. Considering the amount of traffic shuffled through torrents with the intention of grabbing TV shows, it is curious and encouraging to see them embracing it. The different mindset in these two portions of the world is very important, particularly since P2P knows no country boundaries. You can read more here.