A network subscriber can use peer-to-peer (P2P) software for the unauthorized sharing of copyright-protected content (e.g., music) over a P2P network. Typically, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) prevent the unauthorized sharing of copyright-protected material by cutting off the subscriber from the network, essentially assigning the subscriber a bandwidth of zero. Therefore, the network subscriber is not only prevented from transferring copyright-protected material over the P2P network, but the network subscriber is prevented from transferring any material over the network.
In addition, ISPs are beginning to operate as Media Providers (MP) (e.g., a Music Service Provider (MSP)) to permit network subscribers to legally share unlimited music files among one another within an enclosed network, or “walled garden.” There are no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions attached to the music files being traded within the MP (e.g., MSP). Therefore, various business rules need to be applied to the content streams (flows) over the network to manage and maintain data transfers within a MP network. For example, MP subscribers are authorized to upload music (i.e., share music) within the MP network. Therefore, content streams of copyright-protected music from a MP subscriber to an ISP subscriber outside of the MP network need to be blocked without disabling the permissible content streams from the same MP subscriber to other MP subscribers within the MP network. The network traffic should be monitored to determine the source of the content, the destination of the content, and the content that is being transferred on a particular network stream. In addition, an appropriate action should be taken on a subscriber's particular network stream to modify (e.g., block the stream) based on the source address, destination address, and content being transferred independent of a subscriber's other network streams.