WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A recording-industry trade group said on Thursday it had filed a new round of lawsuits against 762 people it suspects of distributing its songs for free over Internet “peer to peer” networks like Kazaa and eDonkey. The Recording Industry Association of America (news – web sites) has now sued roughly 5,400 people [...]

WASHINGTON — For the third time in three weeks, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee decided to take no action on the controversial Induce Act aimed at illegal file swapping on peer-to-peer networks. Written by Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and the committee’s ranking Democrat, Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act of [...]

Here at Digital Hollywood, the debate over peer-to-peer technology rages–literally. On Wednesday, executives from P2P software companies, along with audience members from a panel at the Digital Hollywood conference, openly argued–Jerry Springer-style–about whether sharing and downloading copyrighted film and music files over distributed file networks is legal. , Panel members–from companies including P2P technology makers [...]

Previously known as ‘bitoogle’, ‘Yotoshi’ has begun a project allowing users to live search the FastTrack p2p system, and download files straight from their browsers or download managers without the KaZaA or Grokster software.The new service, launched earlier this morning, is still in beta but lead developer ‘smash’ of the project hopes to have everything [...]

Released:  September 27, 2004License:  FreewareScreenshotDownload Publishers Description:DC++ is an open source C++ client for the Direct Connect protocol. Direct Connect allows you to share files over the Internet without restrictions or limits. 0.4033Changes:*** WARNING *** This update will change all your config files and queues, and it is very probable that you won’t be able [...]

Users of Internet “peer to peer” networks, already dodging lawsuits from the recording industry, could face up to three years in prison under a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. The House voted to enlist the government to a greater degree in the entertainment industry’s fight against those who copy its [...]

Academics in the UK are running on online questionnaire looking at awareness of P2P, counterfeiting and legit online services. So far they sent out 15,000 questionnaires in England and Ireland and the web survey is the next part of their research. There are prizes offered for completing their questionnaire though… More info at http://www.iptocproject.org/press1.htm

p2pnet.net News:- With George W. Bush and John Kerry trying to convince American voters that each would be better than the other at running America, p2p file sharing has come up. Kind of. Predictably, both men are doing their best to dodge around INDUCE, but both seem have views on file sharing and p2p applications. [...]

Just posted today, a revised version of EFF’s “IAAL: What P2P Developers Need to Know about Copyright Law.” This revised version takes into account last month’s landmark court ruling in the MGM v. Grokster case (in which EFF is counsel). This will be of interest to any who do any development work on P2P projects:

MediaSeek.pl 4 LiNUX is a highly anonymous AG-like P2P file-sharing application for Linux (i386) that allows you to download MP3 files. It uses an easy-to-use Web-based interface including mobile-phone support that enables you to find your favorite songs and download them to your computer.W3cache proxy support ensures high privacy level.Windows version is also available.MediaSeek.pl 4 [...]

A novel method of optical data storage could soon be used to hold a terabyte of data on a disk the size of a normal DVD, say researchers at Imperial College London, UK. They developed a type of disk that incorporates angled ridges within the pits in order to subtly alter the polarity of the [...]

NEOnet technology related changes Search results coming from Neo Network are much faster. Roundtrips reduced and search optimized. Improved results to show as they come in, rather than after all found results received. Improved stability of network Multiple other fixes XP Firewall Detection At startup check if XP firewall is present and active and Morpheus [...]

p2pnet.net News Opinion:- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Bill 1506 that will require California file traders to wear the Star of David sewn to their lapels. If that comment seems offensive, then you have a sense of my reaction when I heard of the new state law that makes it a crime for [...]

When emotion drove stock-market prices to absurd new highs during the ’90s tech boom, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan famously said the financial markets were going through a period of “irrational exuberance.” The flip side of this is periods of groundless pessimism. Right now, the music industry is at the tail end of one of those [...]

The nation’s oldest conservative group has become the latest and most vocal critic of an anti-file-swapping bill that foes say could target products like Apple Computer’s iPod. The American Conservative Union (ACU), which holds influential Republican activists and former senators on its board of directors, is running newspaper and magazine advertisements that take a humorous [...]

A federal judge Friday struck down a 1994 law banning the sale of bootleg recordings of live music, ruling the law unfairly grants “seemingly perpetual protection” to the original performances. U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. dismissed a federal indictment of Jean Martignon, who runs a Manhattan mail-order and Internet business that sells bootleg recordings. [...]

“Senator Kerry and President Bush have agreed – in writing – to address your 12 greatest concerns through The New Voters Project Presidential Youth Debate. We’re proud to give under-35 year olds their first-ever opportunity to choose the questions answered by the top presidential candidates. The candidates are officially paying attention. They’ll be giving you [...]

Ants P2P is designed to protect the identities of its users by using a series of middleman nodes to transfer files from the source to destination. As additional security, transfers are Point-to-Point as well as EndPoint-to-EndPoint secured. Change Log: (since 0.2.7) Preferential connecting: The purpose of this is to cluster the broadband nodes in the [...]

What seems to be an embarrassing blunder by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in its hunt for online pirates has prompted Linux Australia to contact its legal representatives and warn of a possible breach of Australian law.  Linux Australia president Pia Smith told Builder AU the MPAA had issued Linux Australia with a [...]

Pop piracy should be decriminalised and the music industry should realise that efforts to stop illegal downloading are doomed, a conference has been told. Instead the music industry should embrace file-sharers, said technology journalist and author Andrew Orlowski in a keynote speech at the Interactive In The City conference being held in Manchester. Mr Orlowski [...]