KaZaA Collapses

MikeKD writes "according to SFGate, KaZaA has announced that it will fold due to the cost of defending itself against the RIAA & MPAA. The timing is notable since on Monday, Altnet (owned by Brillant Digital) announced plans for "sponsored listings in peer-to-peer search" on its "separate [and] secure P2P resource-sharing network"."

Comments

KaZaa != KaZaa

[spacefight]

Aren't the dutch representatives (the ones beeing sued) not the owner of the software (and with it, the newtork) any longer? Well why should RIAA & Friends sue them any longer? Why didn't they already filed suit against Sherman Networks in OZ? Or does anyone know if they alleged them already for copyright infridgement (lol)?

Try to catch me ...

[CyberQ]

It seems "only" the company has to give up. The system will live on - in a more exotic location:

The Web site and the software behind it are now owned by a privately held firm called Sharman Networks, based in Vanuatu, an island in the Pacific.

This promises to be an interesting legal battle, esp. for jurisdiction and enforcement of any rulings. The question is: Will the servers be moved to Vanuatu as well?

Re:Try to catch me ...

[tftp]

kazaa users connect to one server to retrieve a list of alternate nodes to connect to

1. An IP address hardly can be a "circumvention device". More likely, it is speech. The server that the IP points to may even not have anything offending on it. It is more like a general purpose communication network, like a telephone.
2. Even if those IPs are "evil" now, they could be easily obtained through other means, such as an IRC channel where clients would automatically advertise themselves (or Jabber, or AIM...)
3. Once you cache 1000 IP addresses, you don't need to go to the main server any more - chances are very good that one of those 1000 boxes is online, and once you connect it will give you the latest and greatest IP list.
4. Though Freenet itself may be too slow for P2P, real time traffic, it will be perfect as a secure and unbannable distribution medium for IP addresses. The Freenet protocol already has all the necessary types of keys.

Someone actually uses Kazaa??

[Mindjiver]

Why would anyone wanna use Kazaa when you could use DirectConnect?

Re:Someone actually uses Kazaa??

[AngryAndDrunk]

How do you search for files on DirectConnect?

I admit that I've barely looked at it (I'm not exactly a huge p2p user anyway), but from what I saw the whole idea is that you connect directly to (a group of) computer(s), then see what's being shared on them.

So, how do I find a specific song/video/document/whatever? Do you really have to connect to every computer on the network in turn, hoping that what you're after will be on them? Or is it only intended for people who don't particularly care what they find, as long as they find something?

Re:Newsflash!

[Pogue Mahone]

But whose copyright laws do you have to obey?

"In a related story...

[Soulslayer]

...Spy Software companies and makers of other beneficial consumer products wholly unrelated to virus software announce that they expect a downturn in profits and expect to lay off 75% of personnel."

Seriously folks, is this really a bad thing?

P2P software is a nice idea, but I would be more interested in them if they were more user controllable. I'd much rather have a P2P network comprised solely of individuals that I trust than to be connected to a sea of people do not know eating my bandwidth searching for things I do not have and do not want.

Give me a P2P solution that allows me to selectively authorize requests to my system and communicate only with those other people that I wish to communicate with. A mini P2P between myself and my friends.

Software is not to blame

[jukal]

If I create a system which enables people to share files, how do I violate anyones copyright?

And if it does violate something, where is the magic line: why could not for example usenet news be considered as similar system then? It can be used as an organized tool for sharing copyrighted material. Should server admins start making sure that no copyrighted material is posted - and if yes, how do you make this possible? In my opinion, this Kazaa case is exactly similar.

They can keep running Kazaa and it's future breed into bankcruptcy, but it will not solve anything. They are just playing cat'n'mouse. Someday, they will notice that mice fuck much more, kill one, and you have a dozen new. Someday, they will realise that they have to affect something else, this something else is in "peoples mind" and is the reason why Kazaas are created.

Interesting strategy

[Rogerborg]

I'm actually quite taken with Kazaa's strategy. It seems like they're just going to keep "selling" the name and technology to own of their own subsidiaries or spin-offs, then fold whatever part of the company is currently being sued.

Of course, it's a scam, and the [MP|RI]AA can just pursue the new owner... who can just sell on the name and technology, and fold. They'll have to actually go after the owners personally, which is a completely different proposition.

I'm not exactly enamoured with Kazaa (gnutella for me, thanks), but I think they've hit on the only possible defence to the "litagate them into submission" tactics that the [MP|RI]AA are increasingly turning to. However, it's yet another indicator that if you want to start an innovative business, don't do it inthe USA, or in anywhere with strong treaties with the USA. That part is very sad.