After months of issuing warnings, the music industry finally made good on its threat to file suit against peer-to-peer software company LimeWire.
A group of music companies, including Sony BMG, Virgin Records and Warner Bros. Records, have accused LimeWire and the company's officers of copyright infringement, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in New York. LimeWire produces software that's often used to create copies of music recordings and then distribute them over the Web.
The recording industry is asking for compensatory and punitive damages, such as $150,000 for every song distributed without permission.
LimeWire is "devoted essentially to the Internet piracy of plaintiffs' sound recordings," the record companies charge in their suit. "The scope of infringement caused by defendants is staggering."
News source: CNet
A group of music companies, including Sony BMG, Virgin Records and Warner Bros. Records, have accused LimeWire and the company's officers of copyright infringement, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in New York. LimeWire produces software that's often used to create copies of music recordings and then distribute them over the Web.
The recording industry is asking for compensatory and punitive damages, such as $150,000 for every song distributed without permission.
LimeWire is "devoted essentially to the Internet piracy of plaintiffs' sound recordings," the record companies charge in their suit. "The scope of infringement caused by defendants is staggering."

Hopefully limewire will come down and the piracy of artists music will come closer to an end. I know it will never truely end, but bringing down all the p2p clients will help it.
Hopefully limewire will come down and the piracy of artists music will come closer to an end. I know it will never truely end, but bringing down all the p2p clients will help it.
LMAO I DOWNLOAD EVERY TIME MAN!!! SUE ME PLZ
Hopefully limewire will come down and the piracy of artists music will come closer to an end. I know it will never truely end, but bringing down all the p2p clients will help it.
LMAO I DOWNLOAD EVERY TIME MAN!!! SUE ME PLZ
ok
Anyway there is so much garbage they call "music" out there right now that a lot of artish should be glad that someone is wasting the time to download thier junk.
I believe the net was born free and should stay that way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And did I mention that the RIAA sucks ass?
Last edited by XeonBuilder on 06 Aug 2006 - 04:07
No doubt. Sounds quite 2 faced to me.
Kind of like saying, he doesn't smoke pot anymore, but now that he quit, he's going to turn everyone in!
So if everyone went by that attitude, who'd be out there buying the artist's CD's? Your logic doesn't make any sense.
I believe the high cost is more to "set an example"
It doesn't matter what Limewire makes you agree too, the bottem line is their software is being used for copyright infrigement. They are aware of this for obvious reasons and so are alot of people so therefore this is being abused.
For them to be safe they really need to setup a better system, perhaps go the ways of Napster and/or iTunes. But at this current standing point it is a software used heavily for illegal distribution. And you can't sit there and tell me that more people use it for legal reasons than illegal as it's fairly hard to believe.
Personally, I'm sick of people such as LimeWire, PirateBay, etc making an absolute mockery of the laws which the rest of us are supposed to be governed by. The sooner they're stamped out the better for all.
If thats the case then sue microsoft for creating a browser that potentionally allows people to download copyrighted files.
It doesn't matter what Limewire makes you agree too, the bottem line is their software is being used for copyright infrigement. They are aware of this for obvious reasons and so are alot of people so therefore this is being abused.
For them to be safe they really need to setup a better system, perhaps go the ways of Napster and/or iTunes. But at this current standing point it is a software used heavily for illegal distribution. And you can't sit there and tell me that more people use it for legal reasons than illegal as it's fairly hard to believe.
What if I use an M4A1 to commit a robbery? is Colt also going to be sued?
This is BS.
If thats the case then sue microsoft for creating a browser that potentionally allows people to download copyrighted files.
Hell, any Browser could be used for downloading illegal MP3 files, should the RIAA sue every browser software maker out there because of it?
Such Logic is clearly baseless and false.
The RIAA is grasping at straws and everyone knows it but them. If/When they take Limewire down, you can be sure yet another P2P network will show up and eventually they will be on a non-centralised network with an open source program developed by anonymous developers. Eventually the RIAA will fail and its inevitable.
and half the media coprorations that are complaining sell DVD burners, recorders, blank media ect ect that also facilitate piracy. Yeah what limewire is doing is wrong but your reasons are flakey at best. The same could be said about any directory, search engine, file sharring (even if its just msn's built in) or basically anything which allows storage, look up or copying of data.
If thats the case then sue microsoft for creating a browser that potentionally allows people to download copyrighted files.
Although I am against the RIAA and their pathetic attempts at preventing technological advancements because their business models aren't ready for such advancements, I must disagree with you on the browser thing.
Microsofts browser is primarily used for HTTP web browsing. Limewire is primarily used for illegal distribution of copyrighted files, rather than distributing legal files. Which makes your comparison useless.
Personally, I'm sick of people such as LimeWire, PirateBay, etc making an absolute mockery of the laws which the rest of us are supposed to be governed by. The sooner they're stamped out the better for all.
your argument fails since TPB didn't break any laws. Hence why the Swedish police and justice system never did anythign against them and adviced the government not to as well. the only reason any action was taken was because of pressure and thinly veiled threats from the US against the Swedish government.
So what, another Bittorrent site will take the reign. That's P2P.
Given the staggering about of spyware and viruses that most folks end up with, if Limewire did close I think we would all be better off.
Regards
Simon
Given the staggering about of spyware and viruses that most folks end up with, if Limewire did close I think we would all be better off.
Regards
Simon
use a Mac ;-)
Given the staggering about of spyware and viruses that most folks end up with, if Limewire did close I think we would all be better off.
Regards
Simon
I've used Limewire before (not to download anything illegal) and I've had no problems. If a file was infected, I'd just delete it and get the same file from a different IP's shared folder.
Like that brilliant South Park episode....
"Let me show you something...and I don't think you're gonna like it.
(insert artist name here) has to wait a few more months to get his/her solid gold poolside bar because of filesharing.
(insert artist name here) had to sell his/her private jet Mark 5 for the Mark 4. It doesn't even have a remote control for it's 9-speaker 50-inch plasma surround sound DVD player."
...because you support the same idiotic illogical thinking that makes the RIAA so very popular?
My god.. you're a complete idiot. Theres a difference between "providing music over Limewire and torrent sites" and "oh hey look people are downloading my music from Limewire when they should be buying it as i never wanted it on limewire"..
You do realize that right ?? of course your friends wouldn't get ****ed off, they're the ones spreading it.
And i HIGHLY doubt all major artists upload their own songs on limewire/torrent sites to help spread it.
Its quite simply stealing and people like you come up with lame excuses that its not.
I agree with what you're saying - except he wasn't trying to justify stealing.
fine with me, if they wanna play dirty so will i
fine with me, if they wanna play dirty so will i
Last edited by Khaki72nd on 06 Aug 2006 - 13:08
You cannot go against the general populus and expect to win.
Plus:
Limewire never created copies of music recordings, it merely distributes files, any files that the user wishes (even against the terms of use laid out by Limewire). This is analagous with The wife/husband of a victim of a shooting prosecuting the gun company because the murderer had that make of gun.
30 bucks for a cd is way to high a price
just because a so called "artist" makes a one hit wonder don't mean ya got to give them a recording contract...LOL
so the RIAA can just bite me.
pr0n users r still safe
No, it's caused by the file sharers.
When will they learn?
They may be involved in *contributory* infringement (which IIRC has a different penalty), but not in a direct cause, as little as an ISP is. (and ISP's carry maybe ~80-90% of their traffic as piracy related according to some reports, so the comparison is actually not too far off)
I'm inclined to agree. Main reason: people are sick and tired of the RIAA
Last edited by gohankid77 on 05 Aug 2006 - 17:29
And as for this, totally predictable and if they do loose someone will come up with a new netwoek and the same thing will happen again in 18 months as it did to Kazaa previously and napster before that (Morphius was up there but I think they actually killed themselves off basically). But yeah, While I dont like piracy alot if I do use these programs its actually for a legit use although in that case bit torrents more useful. Asking $150 000 a tracks just stupid but.
The one thing about this all that makes me chuckle is that even once Limewire, LLC is litigated into the dirt, the network will still stand just the same as it does today. Unlike Kazaa and Napster of yesteryear, Limewire's connection mechanism is completely decentralized and the code for the software is freely available. Nobody needs to come up with a new network; old installations will continue to work and new versions will continue to be developed, though likely under a different name.
The RIAA continues to succeed in what it does best; accomplishing nothing.
so okay I have alot of songs . . most not so legally obtained . . Lets say in the area of 16,000 or so songs
16,000 songs x $150,000 = 2.4 billion
err . . thats a load of cash
Are RIAA going to sue the internet?
2.) Someone said that downloading illegal files using LimeWire or Microsoft Internet Explorer aren't the same. How isn't it the same. You're transferring files from one computer to another. No matter what software you're using it's the same exact thing.
3.) This entire thing about the music industry losing money is a joke. Most bands that have been around a while will tell you that they make next to nothing on the sale of a CD. There's a reason why bands do tours. The band gets most of that moeny and that's where they make all their money is in tours. I'm talking about bands that have contracts. Not these bands that play little clubs and are just starting out. They have to get their name out there so they do whatever they can to sell a cd. Once they get famous, they go for the large concert crowds to rake the money in.
4.) For years people bought blank cassettes to record music off the stereos or copy someone elses cassette tapes. This was never an issue back in the day. I'm talking about music cassettes not VHS. Even though the same can be said about VHS tapes. We bought VHS tapes to record stuff off the television. We do the same exact thing today. Except this time we use CD/DVD and the internet to send the files.
My opinion...you BOUGHT that CD, you have the right to do whatever you want with it. I'm waiting for the day some RIAA exec is out in public and sees someone listening to a song on their cd player or ipod and looks to their friends and says "listen to this song man, pretty good". Record exec "OMGZ NOZ...you shared your song with that boy. Now you have to pay a fine for that".
When blank tapes first came out record companies weren't happy about it. Taping songs from the radio was still illegal, but it couldn't be enforced, therefore no-one was sued.
Yet for whatever reason the major labels continue to use the RIAA. Why? Are they just stubborn or just plain stupid?
viva LimeWire! The RIAA can sue my (body part here).
Last edited by Sp3ctranova on 06 Aug 2006 - 03:29
I will continue to fileshare until stupid companies realize to charge properly f