Patent ID: 8341283

Claim:
A method for delivery of content data to a plurality of hosts, each host configured to operate as at least one of a content uploading host and a content downloading host, the plurality of hosts forming a peer-to-peer network, the method comprising: a) providing at least a part of the content data by a content uploading host of the plurality of hosts; b) selecting, at the content uploading host of the plurality of hosts, a content downloading host, wherein a probability of the content downloading host being selected is determined on the basis of an amount of content data sent from other hosts of the plurality of hosts, including the content downloading host, to the content uploading host; b1) advertising an available part of the content data from the content uploading host to the selected content downloading host; b2) sending a content block including a first part of the content data requested by the selected content downloading host from the content uploading host to the selected content downloading host; c) selecting, at a second content downloading host, a second content uploading host; c1) requesting at least a second part of the content data by the second content downloading host from the selected second content uploading host; and c2) sending, if available, a second content block including the second part of the content data requested by the second content downloading host from the second content uploading host to the second content downloading host, wherein at least one of step b2) and step c2) further comprises the step of adjusting a size of the content block in proportion to an amount of content data received by the content uploading host from the selected downloading host relative to the other hosts of the plurality of hosts.