iMesh on Thursday said it was set to launch a beta of a new version of BearShare, the peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network that’s run afoul of the recording industry in the past. BearShare, which iMesh acquired in May, is the latest P2P service to go legit.The new service, dubbed BearShare 6.0 “will offer consumers a compelling service inclusive of the traditional benefits common to the P2P file-sharing experience, while assuring compensation to registered rightsholders,” iMesh said in a statement Thursday.

Last year, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sent cease-and-desist demands to a number of P2P services, including BearShare, Kazaa, Limewire, and eDonkey. In May 2006, iMesh/BearShare paid the RIAA $30 million to avoid piracy lawsuits. In 2004, iMesh had forked over $4.1 million in a settlement with the RIAA. (Last month, Kazaa settled with the association to the tune of $115 million.)

http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/192201720

A man who duped customers into believing they could download copyrighted MP3 files without violating the law has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that his claims were false.

Cashier Myricks, Jr., operator of mp3downloadcity.com, agreed to pay $15,240 to the 611 customers who signed up to use the service to exchange music, movie and game files.

The FTC said in a statement that Myricks is also barred from misrepresentations about P2P (define) file-sharing products or services and must explain the civil and criminal liability risks of downloading copyrighted material without the owner’s permission.

Read more »

Just when you thought you’d seen everything P2P is useful for. A recently discovered Internet worm, “Nugache-A” is spreading widely via AIM as ell as MSN Messenger.

In and of themselves, new internet worms pop up too frequently to be news anymore. What is significant about this worm is the way in which it can be remotely controlled, via P2P.

Read more »

Peer-to-peer programs like LimeWire and Kazaa found themselves in the federal spotlight as music companies filed suits against hundreds of people - including a woman at Sheppard Air Force Base - alleging they downloaded and distributed music illegally.Peer-to-peer programs allow users to share music and other media files, and the recording companies and artists don’t get paid for those exchanges.

Read more »

Free Peers Incorporated, a company that distributed the BearShare Gnutella application, has reached a settlement with the music industry. According to court records, iMesh will pay a $30 million dollars to the plaintiffs of this case (Capitol Records, Sony-BMG, UMG Recordings, and Warner Music.)

Read more »

BearShare is a file sharing program that lets you, your friends, and everyone in the world share files. Built on Gnutella technology, it provides a simple, easy to use interface combined with a powerful connection and search engine that puts thousands of different files in easy reach.

Read more »