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21 Jul 2009
Former peer-to-peer file sharing service Kazaa has been relaunched as a subscription music service.
The new service allows unlimited downloads of files which can play on up to three PCs, as well as ringtones for one mobile phone, at a cost of $19.98 (£12.16) per month. The service is being run by Brilliant Digital Inc, which purchased the rights from previous owner Sharman Networks.
The relaunch marks a new start for the embattled file sharing network. Originally operating as a peer-to-peer file-sharing service, Kazaa was among the first services to step in following the shutdown of Napster.
However, lawsuits from the music and recording industries soon hit the service and by 2005 Kazaa was faced with shutdown following a $100m (£60m) legal settlement with four major record labels.
The relaunch adds Kazaa to the growing list of free peer-to-peer services that were forced to convert to paid services as a direct result of legal action.
Napster has been trying for years to regain popularity as a music subscription service, and the Pirate Bay recently announced that its own legal woes would force the site to be recast as a legitimate gaming site.
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Do you agree?
Kazaa has gone legit but it isn't good news for everyone.
At last all the major music companies have agreed to and support a subscription based service in the newly revamped Kazaa but why oh why is it only available to the US? I have used the napster sub service in the past and used to get annoyed by the pay per song idea. Now Kazaa comes back with a vengenace offering a legitimate way to obtain unlimited current chart hits and albums and what do they do....they make it unavailable in some countries? Piracy is a universal problem so they need to supply this service to everyone in every country if they want to severly reduce unlawful downloading. This is fact!! Anyone who, faced with the option of paying for a monthly kazaa sub fee allowing you to download unlimited music, still pirates, then they should be properly dealt with under law but the service will need to give people all over the world the 'opportunity' to join kazaa and obtain music in the correct way.
Posted by: dave 22 Jul 2009