The young chief executive of MetaMachine, distributor of eDonkey file-sharing software, appeared six months ago before a U.S. Senate committee and said his network–the world’s most popular–was ready to turn over a new leaf.
Now Sam Yagan and his company are nearing the point when they’ll have to deliver on that promise.
Music industry insiders say that pressure is building for eDonkey’s makers and other peer-to-peer software companies to reach a final deal with record labels, turning off the free music and movie swapping that has gone on long after Yagan said it would stop. Yagan himself declined to give details on negotiations, but says he’s hoping to have a final deal soon.
"I honestly had expected everything to move more quickly," Yagan said. "We look forward to a settlement (with the record industry) very soon. It’s not months away, that’s for sure."
