Kazaa Loses Its Legal Battle

Kazaa appears to be following the trail that Napster first blazed (and then was dragged down). The file-sharing network, like its predecessor, is well known for being used to illegally trade copyrighted works. Now, much like Napster, Kazaa has reached the end of that rope. Sharman Networks, which owns Kazaa, has agreed to "go legitimate," and to pay a substantial amount of money to four music companies. A Associated Press on that topic. "Services based on theft are going legit or going under, and a legal marketplace is showing real promise," he said. Kazaa was something of a dinosaur, and its surrender may not have huge repercussions in a practical sense. But this is definitely a symbolic victory for the music industry; depending on your point of view, that's either reassuring or very troubling. Discuss this article with your fellow WebPros at Tag: Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Yahoo! My Web | Furl Bookmark Murdok: Doug is a staff writer for Murdok for the latest eBusiness news.