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Slyck.com: Many are concerned about the ongoing litigation between LimeWire and the music industry. If possible, could you tell us if any progress been made in resolving this conflict? LimeWire: I'd like to comment on the litigation, but, as you suggest, I'm sorry that I can't. What I can say is that, although the lawsuit is unfortunate, we're confident in our position and optimistic about the eventual outcome. We're most interested in ending this destructive conflict. What's happening in peer-to-peer and at LimeWire right now represents a unique opportunity for the record industry, and I think some people in their organizations can see this. This doesn't mean shutting down. The record industry has a good track record of shutting down peer-to peer providers, closing Napster, Aimster, Grokster, iMesh, BearShare, eDonkey, WinMX, i2hub and others. This has done nothing to reduce overall peer-to-peer use, however. Shutting down one service merely fragments and shifts the user base to other services. Many now are overseas, open source, and don't even exist as a business entity. Tens of thousands of lawsuits against individuals haven't slowed the adoption curve of peer-to-peer, either. They've only alienated the fan base. The music industry must find a way to reach and embrace these music consumers. Litigation isn't a good digital business model. It also doesn't mean selling out. The record industry's recent experiment with iMesh demonstrated that quickly forcing a user base of any size to a fundamentally different service doesn't work. Prior experiments with Napster and eDonkey showed that hard filtering scatters users just as quickly. The solution must preserve the core user experience. Through all this, peer-to-peer continues to grow. None of the tumult of the industry, none of the shutdowns, none of the conversion plans, none of the filtering, not lawsuit upon lawsuit upon lawsuit, have shaken that growth curve. In the end, it is the users--not the music industry, not LimeWire, and not the courts--who will determine what works and what doesn't. The users are in control. The music industry needs to work to understand and monetize peer-to-peer consumer behavior, not block it. This means beginning a process of market experimentation. It means working together to build the future that's going to come whether we build it now, or others build it later: a future that includes peer-to-peer and commercial services, and keeps the user in control.
Limewire chairman Mark Gorton had a bad day on Tuesday. Gorton appeared in front of the Committee for Oversight and Government Reform to talk about P2P safety and leaks of classified information on file sharing networks.His prepared statement also offers an interesting twist on the old fingerpointing game. Gorton told the Committee that ISPs should be forced to take a tougher stance against sharing of unlicensed content. From his statement:"Internet Service Providers, ISP’s, are a unique point of control for every computer on the Internet. Universities frequently function as their own ISP’s, and a handful of universities have implemented notice based warning systems that result in the disconnection of users engaged in illegal behavior who ignore multiple warnings. These universities have sharply reduced child pornography and copyright infringement on their campus networks. Similar policies could be mandated for all ISP’s in the United States. "Gorton goes on by saying that the US Congress should pass laws to force ISPs to enforce copyright. This sounds like a dangerous idea to suggest - especially in times where politicians and lobbyists are pushing for government-mandated P2P filters on the ISP level. Granted, Gorton only wants ISPs to cut off repeat offenders.
