File-Sharing Services Dip in Traffic After RIAA Threat

Advertisement (Why?)

Use of several Internet file-sharing services declined the week after the music industry threatened to sue online music swappers, an Internet tracking firm said Monday.

Kazaa and Morpheus -- two popular file-swapping services -- had 15 percent fewer users during the week ending July 6, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. The firm tracks weekly use by people who sign on to the services from home.

The decline translates to about 1 million fewer users on Kazaa. About 41,000 fewer users signed on to Morpheus and the iMesh (search) file-sharing service that week.

"With the negative publicity and threat of steep fines, some surfers appear to be backing off," said Greg Bloom, a senior Internet analyst with the firm. "However, with millions of loyal users, these applications aren't likely to go off-line in the near future."

Sharman Networks, which owns Kazaa, said fluctuations in user numbers is common.

News source: FoxNews

In a response to a written parliamentary question, junior DTI minister Gerry Sutcliffe confirmed: "The value of the database should be enhanced by the inclusion of the last three years' data which has been delayed by IT problems."

It is hoped that the data will be available for publication later this year.

A spokesman for the DTI admitted there had been "a pretty large problem" with the computer systems.

In 1999 a group led by IT services firm Fujitsu Services, along with consulting business CMG, took control of the systems in an outsourcing deal worth £200m.

Fujitsu Services declined to comment, saying that its contract with the DTI prohibited it from responding directly.

The DTI has decided to abolish the Hass system, after a strategic review concluded that the money would be better spent elsewhere.

#1 Shaunboyland on 16 Jul 2003 - 10:09

I'm pretty sure there would be a drop since its a Holiday weekend, jeez.

#2 Stingray on 16 Jul 2003 - 10:25

Those poor guys are complete dumbasses while trying to justify their paycheck. What about newsgroups, DC++, BitTorrent, IRC, E-Mule, Soulseek, etc? Geez.

(1 reply) #3 Fubar on 16 Jul 2003 - 10:48

lool riaa still not dead yet ? cmon its about time they stopped they are never going to win against p2p clients and such quit wasting money and put it to some good for crying out loud..... ive never known a company to be so stupid in my whole life, well apart from ntl anyway

#3.1 BGM on 16 Jul 2003 - 11:20

lol word.. ntl:

#4 Prelude76 on 16 Jul 2003 - 11:42

give me a break, this is OLD news. read about it over a week ago. oh, and they also said it was a normal 'dip', and that it was back up to full users afterwards. this normal dip is probably due to the fact its a Holiday Weekend and most people dont sit at their computers on holidays unless they are ultra-geeks. ya heard me, dont make me repeat it. and this is another foxnews scare-tactic to try to change the american peole thru fear-mongering, i guess along the same lines "Iraq has nukes! Iraq has nukes!" bullsh*t.

#5 Krankerz on 16 Jul 2003 - 13:47

Threat? I don't remember a threat! LOL. I guess the RIAA aren't very effective at getting the word out.

(1 reply) #6 akassebaum on 16 Jul 2003 - 15:43

You know that someone can use a legal defense that the internet a just a product of pop culture and that we have been seduced by the dark side. Murderers have gotten away with crimes simply because they said it was the wrong time of the month or they are retarded and don't know wrong from right. I seriously can not see how RIAA can charge people 150,000 dollars a song, when the cd cost a measly 20 dollars. That is way overboard. If someone feels that they can penalize people by asking them to pay for it, then they should at least go for the net value of cd. What's next? HBO gonna come and get the people who record their movies?

If there is anyone to blame for the inciting of the music download frenzy, it is the file sharing companies who put it out there for people to download. I do not think that they wrote the programs originally to dirtectly connect with uncle joe and share family recipes. I do not know of a program that is truly on a one on one basis, where it is between two users known to each other. The RIAA are just pissed that the judicial systems will not have their way. RIAA and the record company are constantly raping the artists with fees that ultimately lowering the artists royalties. The Dixie Chicks did not receive a million for the first record that went platinum 5 or 6 times, until they hired a good accountant and a lawyer.

If you ask me, this is insane! But it might be a good idea to quit downloading until the courts can intervene. I would hate to see someone be made an example of.

#6.1 netizen on 16 Jul 2003 - 16:22

You know it's more the fault of the f****d up US legal system. Also, the US press tend to forget that the internet exists outside of America, and that other governments and national recording industries have bigger things to worry about.

#7 Mr. Black on 16 Jul 2003 - 17:07

I didn't stop using Kazaa - I would have signed on even if the RIAA was monitoring everybody. I wasn't on that week cuz I had nothing to download...

#8 splendore on 16 Jul 2003 - 18:54

I wonder if they relized that the week ending in July 6th, was the week of July 4th, were half the United States Population was not in their home town to be downloading Mp3s. Most of the United States population did not bring there Comptuer to download files while they are camping or otherwise on vacation

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Neowin.net