LimeWire, RIAA $105 mln settlement signals end of P2P era

Following a 5 year legal standoff between peer-to-peer (P2P) boss LimeWire and the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.), the two sides have agreed to settle the music piracy dispute for $105 million.

LimeWire was the sole online service site that survived the U.S. Supreme Court rulings from 2005. Other similar services such as Kazaa, Bearshare, Grokster, and Morpheus shut down their websites following the ruling. The company was responsible for illegally distributing millions of songs online through its file-sharing platform which contributed to the music industry’s growing issue of music piracy.

The music industry sought $1.4 billion as damages. Though the full penalty amount was not agreed upon, the R.I.A.A. claimed it was a victory for future privacy prevention.

“We are pleased to have reached a large monetary settlement following the court’s finding that both LimeWire and its founder Mark Gorton personally liable for copyright infringement…As the court heard during the last two weeks, LimeWire wreaked enormous damage on the music community, helping contribute to thousands of lost jobs and fewer opportunities for aspiring artists,” R.I.A.A.’s chairman Mitch Bainwol said.

The use of P2P music sharing has taken a significant dive since 2007, according to a report by NPD. It may seem that online piracy has reduced but other download websites such as RapidShare have replaced LimeWires and Kazaa platforms. Even websites such as ListentoYoutube has allowed users to download audio music tracks from Youtube.

There has been success in battling piracy through sites such as iTunes, Amazon Mp3, and Spotify, which offers music services and affordable prices. They have given users alternate options to obtain high quality music tracks directly into their digital music player devices.