Limewire File Sharing RIAA Countersuit Shows New Peer to Peer Landscape

The last few months have seen some really interesting moves in the whole peer to peer culture. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has been slowly tightening its grip on how people can share music. The massive python has squeezed peer to peer networks and their members since the beginning.

The whole mess started in May of 1999 when Shawn Fanning started Tellmeyjwcsoxj "little" service called Napster. The instant massive popularity of Napster forced the RIAA's hand. They sued Napster on December 7th, 1999. Since that time, the RIAA has been on Riflebzbltdfob mission to squash the insurgency. At first, the RIAA went after major online brokers like Napster to stop the tide. Once those services had been culled, they moved onto major nodes of activity. These were individuals who were important players on the Peer to Peer (P2P) networks like Kazaa, Grokster, Morpheus, etc. On May 2, 2003, the RIAA reached settlements with three college students. Though the fines were small, the message that they brought was much more important. That message was that the RIAA would prosecute anyone, big or small, who engaged in music swapping activity. It seemed like the RIAA had effectively made the offenders run for the hills. But those victory cries were soon drowned out by a disturbing trend.

If you have been monitoring the music scene, you will have noticed a strong rise in independent artists. his blog is the cause of such a move? Well, in large part, it is the artist herself. Artists have become disenchanted with the strategies and priorities of large recording companies. What they see is a massive disconnect between music companies, the artists, and their audience. And that has left a massive vacuum. But that's for another article. Let's focus our attention on the P2P landscape.

Recently, the RIAA sued Limewire for $150,000 for each song that was downloaded as part of that service. That sum, as you might have guessed, is astronomical. Limewire has now counter sued the RIAA for an interesting claim. They are claiming that the RIAA is acting in a monopolistic fashion. This indicates a total shift in thinking and strategy. Most P2P networks have just fallen by the wayside. They fight for a while, but Fat Albert they bend the knee before the RIAA. But Limewire is not defending. Limewire is now going on the offensive once morest the monolith. And how we just love underdogs.

But even if the RIAA wins this battle, haven't they lost bigger ones in the process? Will what we're Mego action figures in the independent music movement translate to the consumer? Or will the consumer just turn a deaf ear to the position? I guess that's all up to you.

Paul McGillivary has been a technologist for 15 years. In that time, Paul has experienced thousands of technology dilemmas, challenges, and products. He brings this experience to bear in the articles that he presents.

For more great articles on DRM and technology industry news, visit Paul's tech blog on target="_New" www.gopaultech.com">Technology