IMesh users beware

[Gwarsbane]

http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=529

A long time ago, iMesh was a pioneer file-sharing application, once bringing about innovative concepts to the P2P world. The Israeli P2P network began its existence right around the same time as Napster, however the king of file-sharing obscured iMesh from the spotlight.

So what did iMesh pioneer? It was the first P2P network to incorporate multi-source downloading and have an effective resume feature. Napster did have a resume feature, however it rarely, if ever, worked. Many current P2P users remember downloading their first full length movies off of iMesh, often taking days to complete (good ol' 56k.)

After Napster's demise, iMesh's popularity climbed. It then switched over to an older version of the FastTrack protocol, where it still resides. To this day, around a half to three quarter million individuals traverse this sub-community of FastTrack.

While this may be a fun ride for the iMesh community, the RIAA had a serious problem with the situation. In September 2003, the RIAA sued iMesh, LTD for copyright infringement. One would think its geographical distance from the United States would give them some leeway; however iMesh never-the-less became the RIAA's latest victim. Would iMesh hang on and fight the good fight or succumb and go the way of Song Spy? Neither, it would strike a deal with the RIAA.

At 5 pm EST, iMesh issued a press release stating they have struck a deal with the RIAA. The contents of the release are a bit vague, however it states the lawsuits are now behind them and they will be concentrating on a new service.

“Entering into this agreement with key players within the entertainment industry to put the lawsuit behind us will allow us the opportunity to migrate to a business model that will continue to provide users with the P2P experience that they have come to expect from iMesh.” said Ofer Shabtai Chief Operating Officer at iMesh. “iMesh plans to transform the way consumers share media online and we are excited about the prospect of working together with the entertainment industry as we usher in this new era of P2P file sharing.”

Slyck contacted iMesh's public relations firm, Connors Communications, to clear up perhaps the most important question. We asked if the new service would be free or a pay service, however we were told iMesh was "not in a position to elaborate." In addition, iMesh's settlement is RIAA wide, and not specific to one particular company.

However the RIAA made the following statement: "As conditions of the out-of-court settlement, iMesh has agreed to settle claims with the record companies for $US4.1 million and migrate to an online business that abides by US copyright laws."

So iMesh now enters into a new era of its life, one dominated by the RIAA and music industry. With a market full of various industry sanctioned services, will anyone notice iMesh’s transition? You can read the press release below:




iMesh Reaches Resolution with Recording Industry Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Pioneer Plans to Lead New Digital Music Experience


New York, NY – July 20, 2004 – iMesh, the pioneer of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks, announced today that it has reached a resolution with leading record labels who filed a lawsuit in September 2003. The record labels alleged that the company contributed to digital copyright infringements taking place on the iMesh network.

“Entering into this agreement with key players within the entertainment industry to put the lawsuit behind us will allow us the opportunity to migrate to a business model that will continue to provide users with the P2P experience that they have come to expect from iMesh.” said Ofer Shabtai Chief Operating Officer at iMesh. “iMesh plans to transform the way consumers share media online and we are excited about the prospect of working together with the entertainment industry as we usher in this new era of P2P file sharing.”

iMesh, utilizing a cutting edge technology platform that remains true to its P2P heritage, plans to launch a new file sharing network later this year. iMesh will offer tremendous benefits to users by providing a unique way to find and share their favorite music and movies online in a Spyware free, fun and safe environment while maintaining the community and technology aspects of peer-to-peer. The company will continue to provide high quality and innovative software to its users until the new service is launched.

iMesh was represented in litigation by Jeffrey Kimmel and Jeffrey Schreiber at New York’s Meister Seelig and Fein LLP.

[Miagi]

I thought Imesh contained adware/spyware :unsure:. Where's that $4.1 million going exactly? Possibly a bonus for those who work for RIAA while the artists get? And where would imesh get 4.1 million from? Maybe I wasn't wrong about it having adware/spyware.

[Wanksta]

shit does this mean iMesh is gonna get me into a lawsuit. Why do i have to notice the important posts at the last minute.:unsure:

[SNOWDAWG]

Does this mean we are safe GB? :D

http://www.cippic.ca/file-sharing-lawsuits

Looks that way to me.

[Wanksta]

*packs his bags cuz hes going to canada*

[Gwarsbane]

Well for now its safe for us to download, but not to upload.

[Wha?]

You can allow somebody to take your files, but you can't give them out. Like a tray of cookies at a party, the tray is accessible by everyone, and they take what they want, versus a test in a classroom, where the teacher goes around and hands the sheets to each individual.