Here's an interesting twist: A new company called PiCast is entering the increasingly crowded market for peer-assisted video delivery -- but it's doing it with the expertise of a firm known for helping media companies thwart distribution of video via P2P.

You probably have not heard of PiCast, which is just coming to market with a new offering for peer-assisted video streaming. But you may have heard of ArtistDirect, its parent group. And if you pay any attention to P2P filesharing news, you probably have heard of MediaDefender -- the ArtistDirect subsidiary and anti-piracy firm where much of PiCast's technology originates.

MediaDefender, which claims to have been "contracted by every major record label and every major movie studio, video game publishers, software publishers, and anime publishers," is best known for its practice of "decoying" or "spoofing" major releases of high-profile content -- essentially flooding P2P filesharing networks with fake copies of popular videos and music in an effort to frustrate downloaders into purchasing the real deal.

Read on at Contentinople.

— Ryan Lawler, Contentinople