This Nightmare of Listening Freedom is Almost Over!

June 20, 2008 11:09 AM

So which P2P networks garner the most RIAA lawsuits? The lawsuits are, of course, a sort of cloak and dagger affair, but isn't there some data on this kind of thing?

(disclosure: my school just got reamed by the supreme court. I #1 live off-campus, #2 don't download much)

posted by tmcw to computers & internet (5 comments total)

Anecdotally, the majority seem to be from classic P2P networks like Kazaa, Limewire, etc.
posted by rooftop secrets at 11:59 AM on June 20, 2008

The RIAA just seems to follow the path of whatever is the most popular file-sharing network. For lawsuits against individual users, it started with Napster, then FastTrack (clients: Kazaa, Morpheus, iMesh), eDonkey (clients: eMule, Morpheus), and lately Gnutella (clients: Limewire, Bearshare) since it's now the largest direct peer-to-peer network.

With torrents, the RIAA has been going after the torrent file hosts since they're easier targets to identify and takedown. From a logistics standpoint, prosecuting someone on the direct file-sharing networks is easier because they have a large inventory of incriminating files on display for downloading. With torrents, clients are sending and receiving disparate pieces of files.
posted by junesix at 12:06 PM on June 20, 2008

(in my own quick research, I have seen poorly-Xeroxed KaZaa printouts a few times. I'm just thinking that this is the sort of thing someone might be compiling? my worrying level is at somewhat-worrying currently, but it's always at that level or higher)
posted by tmcw at 12:18 PM on June 20, 2008

You're worried that you might be one of the 20? You're not. You would have been served already.
posted by junesix at 12:44 PM on June 20, 2008

The RIAA Explains How It Catches Alleged Music Pirates, via The Chronicle of Higher Education, Specifically mentions LimeWire. Kazaa seems to be a fave of theirs as well, it seems to show up a lot on their older lawsuits.

I think they're strong with the old clients because the protocols have all been picked apart.

Not that it matters, since they've been duped into C&D'ing printers now.
posted by bhance at 5:12 PM on June 20, 2008 [2 favorites]