napster
Happy Birthday, Gnutella: Pioneering P2P Protocol Turns Ten
Ten years ago this week, online music pioneer Justin Frankel released a little application dubbed Gnutella that enabled file sharing through a distributed P2P network. Frankel, whose previous claim to fame was programming the then hugely-popular Winamp MP3 player software, supposedly named the client after his favorite hazelnut cream spread, and the first version published online was really more of a proof of concept than anything else. Still, Gnutella hit a nerve.
Continue reading »Convicted File-Sharer: DRM-Free Tracks on KaZaA to Blame
Tenenbaum’s attorney argues in request for retrial that Joel Tenenbaum and other music listeners could not get “exactly the songs they wanted, in exactly the format they wanted” until the music industry did away with DRM in 2007, and that the availability of DRM-free tracks on Napster and KaZaA” contributed substantially to their immense public appeal.” Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson has formally filed a motion for a retrial in the case of convicted file-sharer Joel Tenenbaum. Tenenbaum was found guilty of copyright infringement for illegally sharing 30 songs this past August and was fined $22,500 p/song for a total of $675,000. Tenenbaum’s attorney is arguing that Tenenbaum and other music listeners could not get “exactly the songs they wanted, in exactly the format they wanted” until the music industry did away with DRM in 2007, meaning that the time frame he can claim a fair use extension should be extended from 2003, the birth of iTunes, to 2007.
Continue reading »FreeAllMusic is “iTunes Meets Hulu”
Users will be able to download songs for free after viewing a 15-30 second advertisement, but will it catch on with music fans and will advertisers really embrace it? Many, myself included, are always criticizing the music industry for its repeated inability to think outside the box, and the fact that 10 years after Napster it still needs our advice proves it’s shortcomings. However, two of the so-called Big 4 record labels have signed up to provide their music libraries for a new site called FreeAllMusic where users can download songs for free after watching a brief 15-30 second advertisement.
Continue reading »Record-fine Napsterer wants retrial with RIAA
Blames Apple DRM A Boston University graduate student ordered to pay record labels $675,000 for illegally sharing 30 songs on Napster and Kazaa is asking a judge to grant him a new trial or reduce damages, which he claims are “grossly excessive” and unconstitutional.…
Continue reading »isoHunt Loses US Lawsuit Against Movie Studios
In September 2006, just months after the infamous Pirate Bay raid, the US movie studios turned their attention to isoHunt and other associated websites. Columbia, Disney, Tristar, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros issued a complaint, stating that isoHunt owner Gary Fung operated file-sharing services and profited from copyright infringement. On December 21st 2009, a US federal court in California ruled that isoHunt is indeed guilty of violating US copyright law by way of inducement, with the operators having engaged in “purposeful, culpable expression and conduct, aimed at promoting infringing uses of the websites.” In noting the similarities between this case and earlier ones involving both the Napster and Grokster file-sharing services, Judge Stephen Wilson ruled that a full trial was not required and granted the plaintiffs request for summary judgment.
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