RIAA steps up legal assault on LimeWire

The RIAA's latest efforts could spell the end for LimeWire

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is lobbying a US court to permanently shut down file-sharing service LimeWire.

According to media reports, the RIAA recently filed a request in the Southern New York US District Court seeking a permanent injunction against the service, which it accuses of continuing to enable users to illegally share copyrighted content.

LimeWire has reportedly been given two weeks to appeal against the RIAA request before a decision is made. The injunction could bar LimeWire from advertising or operating its network and software.

"We feel a permanent injunction could hold back the development of new digital music technologies that LimeWire is in the process of developing and does not benefit the industry," a LimeWire spokesperson told V3.co.uk.

The motion is the latest in the ongoing legal feud between the RIAA and the file-sharing service. First filed in 2006, the complaint accused LimeWire of profiting from pirated content.

The RIAA claimed a key victory in May when the court found LimeWire and its owners liable for copyrighted content that had been exchanged on the service. A cash amount has not yet been determined in the case.