Since Napster first burst onto the scene, file swapping has emerged as one of the Net's "killer apps", vigorously embraced by millions of consumers in search of free music, video and software. But it has been challenged with equal vigor in the courts by media companies, which fear a vast expansion of piracy that could gut their businesses.
- Who's who in file swapping
- StreamCast Networks (formerly known as MusicCity): Distributors of the Morpheus software, which talked to Kazaa and Grokster until Tuesday. Being sued by the RIAA and MPAA.
- Kazaa: Now owned by Australian Shaman Networks. Shares the same software, known as FastTrack, with Morpheus and Grokster. Being sued by the RIAA and MPAA.
- Grokster: Based in the West Indies, the smallest of the three services making up the FastTrack network. Being sued by the RIAA and MPAA.
- Napster: The original file-swapping heavyweight. Unrestricted file swapping has been shut down since July. Hoping to launch a subscription service authorised by the major music labels. Still being sued by the RIAA.
- RIAA: Recording Industry Association of America. Trade group representing music labels.
- MPAA: Motion Picture Association of America. Trade group representing movie studios.
- LimeWire: One of the largest distributors of Gnutella-based software.
- Gnutella: An open-source peer-to-peer communications protocol. LimeWire, BearShare and others use Gnutella.
The move of millions of people onto the Gnutella network would represent a dramatic shift in the peer-to-peer world. Gnutella has gained substantial press since its creation and release by America Online programmer Justin Frankel two years ago. But despite the efforts of Gnutella developers such as LimeWire and BearShare, the technology has never gained the traction of Napster, Morpheus or Kazaa. Developers say the technology's early problems with handling large numbers of people have been solved. StreamCast's Griffin said his developers have also worked out the initial troubles in connecting numerous people within Gnutella. Gnutella developers are watching StreamCast with interest, seeing the changes as a potential boost to their community's size. "Our whole goal has been to evangelise that Gnutella is good," said Greg Bildson, LimeWire's chief technology officer. "If Gnutella gets bigger, that's a good thing in general." Other groups are closely watching the skirmishing among the file-swapping companies -- particularly the record and movie industries, whose legal case against the services is about to reach a head. StreamCast is scheduled to meet attorneys for the Record Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America in a Los Angeles federal court 4 March, less than a week after Morpheus' shutdown. The closure of the network is likely to play a role in that case. The record companies and studios have long contended that the companies providing file-swapping services have the ability to control their networks to some degree. "We have been saying all along that they control the system, and this proves it," RIAA Senior Vice President Matt Oppenheim said in a statement Wednesday. Analysts say that if StreamCast moves to Gnutella, it could help the record and movie companies keep a lid on file swapping's growth. "There will always be a new gray-market network somewhere," Jupiter Media Metrix's Sinnreich said. "But it's a good thing for the legitimate industry if every six months people have to find a new (file-swapping) community."
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