Says the injunction represents a “significant step in the bright future of digital music,” and encourages former users to consider switching to one of the many legal online services that exist, but all that’s likely to happen is that they’ll simply choose another P2P program like BitTorrent instead.
Last week U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood issued an injunction ordering LimeWire to disable the “the searching, downloading, uploading, file trading and/or file distribution functionality, and/or all functionality” of the famed file-sharing program, and now the RIAA has made a point to comment on the turn of events.
“The operators of LimeWire continue to tout how “proud” they are of their service,” says the RIAA. “To be clear, for the better part of the last decade, LimeWire and its operators have violated the law, and in doing so, enriched themselves immensely. In January, the court will conduct a trial to determine the appropriate level of damages.”
The injunction came as a result of LimeWire’s loss to the RIAA this past May where Judge Wood determined the company had committed copyright infringement, engaged in unfair competition, and induced others to commit copyright infringement.
The suit began back in 2006 on the heels of the landmark MGM v Grokster, and is a testament to how slowly the justice system works while the Internet evolves in leaps in bounds. Limewire has since been eclipsed dramatically by faster, and arguably much safer, alternatives like BitTorrent. The real lesson is that that you shouldn’t try to profit from illegal P2P.
“It’s also worth noting: LimeWire was responsible for millions in lost sales to countless up-and-coming artists, those who already grace our earphones, and big and small music labels alike,” continues the RIAA. “Services that flout the law do not deserve a place in today’s music marketplace where hundreds of existing, accessible, innovative legal sites offer users their favorite music at affordable prices – sometimes even free.
The RIAA notes that there are “now more than 11 million legal tracks online and more than 400 licensed music services today,” and insists the ruling was necessary for legal online music services to thrive.
It’s worth mentioning, however, that music industry profits, at least in the UK, have risen modestly over the last few years, and the fact that musicians income is up 66% over the last decade.
The RIAA says the injunction “represents a significant step in the bright future of digital music,” but all that’s likely to happen is that former LimeWire users will simply switch to one of the dozens of alternative file-sharing programs that exist.
“For those LimeWire users affected by the shut down, we encourage you to consider the many easy-to-use legitimate options available in the marketplace,” says the RIAA. “Not only do you help contribute to the investment in the next crop of talented artists, you stay on the right side of the law and might also save your computer from virus or spyware.”
LimeWire says it plans to to return as a subscription-based “ecosystem” that will give subscribers “complete and instant access to their entire [music] library and catalog across their desktop, devices, and in the cloud,” but considering all the lost profits record labels claim it’s responsible for, getting their permission to use their music catalogs will be a tough endeavor.
Stay tuned.
I've been interested in P2P since the early, high-flying days of Napster and KaZaA. I believe that analog copyright laws are ill-suited to the digital age, and that art and culture shouldn't be subject to the whims of international entertainment industry conglomerates. Twitter | Google Plus
"In January, the court will conduct a trial to determine the appropriate level of damages." Well lets see Jamie Thomas 24 songs = $1.5 million ...so Limewire = $58 gazilliontrillion Yea that sounds about right.
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