filesharing

Still worried that peer-to-peer filesharing networks like Lime Wire are causing users to "inadvertently" expose sensitive documents, posing potential security risks, members of Congress are now asking for a formal investigation into the phenomenon.

The latest concern from the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, judging by a 7-page letter (click for PDF) dated Wednesday to Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Deborah Majoras, appears to be this: Peer-to-peer networks may make unsuspecting consumers vulnerable to identity theft.

The same group of politicians, led by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Tom Davis (R-Va.), suggested earlier this summer that peer-to-peer networks can pose a "national security" threat … Read more

LimeWire is best known as the latest in a long chain of software that makes it easy to find and download music for free, replacing Napster, Grokster, eDonkey, Kazaa, and all the other applications and networks that shut down or cracked down on the sharing of copyrighted material.

Lime Wire LLP, the company that makes the LimeWire software application, has also been sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), but has so far refused to cave, saying that it only manufactures the software and has no control over how users choose to employ it. Moreover, it filed a countersuit in September 2006 on antitrust grounds, calling the RIAA an illegal cartel that conspires to destroy any distribution channel that the recording industry doesn't control.… Read more

The bad legal news continues for the recording industry.

After yesterday's ruling that the RIAA owes an Oklahoma woman nearly $70,000 in attorneys' fees, the European Union's top court today said that European ISPs are not required to disclose the names of subscribers whose IP addresses have allegedly been linked to illegal activity on file-sharing networks.

In the case at issue, a group of Spanish music producers filed a legal complaint about Spanish ISP Telefonica, which refused turn over IP addresses of apparent Kazaa users. Telefonica maintained that Spanish law required it to turn over these addresses … Read more

ZuneScene, a fan site devoted to Microsoft's portable music player, is reporting on a Microsoft patent filing that describes a system for compensating Zune users for sharing music wirelessly.

The idea: if I send you a song, it expires after 3 days or 3 plays, regardless of where I got it from (my own CD collection, a file-sharing network, a Zune Marketplace download). If you decide you like that song and buy it from the Zune Marketplace, I get a small commission--probably points good for buying other songs from the Marketplace.

This isn't news: Engadget reported on it … Read more

LimeWire is an extremely popular, peer-to-peer file-sharing program based on the Gnutella network. The version 4.0 series ups the ante with a combination of feature tweaks, an updated interface, and better all-around performance.

In this First Look video, take a quick tour of the app and learn how to screen out illegally shared content.

Ohio University has become the latest college to crack down on file sharing.

The school announced this week that it would restrict the use of all peer-to-peer file sharing on the campus computer network.

"The network is a shared resource, and we must ensure that it is available to all users," Chief Information Officer Brice Bible said in a news release. "Peer-to-peer file-sharing consumes a disproportionate amount of resources, both in bandwidth and human technical support."

College students are some of the most prolific users of P2P sites, and record industry officials have attempted to crack down on the spread of these networks … Read more