iMesh Going Legit
Emerging from the shady world of illegitimate file-sharing, iMesh is set to launch a beta online music service Tuesday in the latest attempt to convert the world’s millions of peer-to-peer (P2P) users to paying music customers.
Though it’s a few years behind other online music offerings, iMesh has the advantage of an existing user base of about 100 million. It also has a leg up on other lifetime P2P services, which are still mired in legal woes. iMesh is the first major network to convert to a legal service authorized by the major labels.
The New York City-based company, founded in Israel in 1999, joined the P2P game early on, right after the original Napster. After becoming one of the most popular file-sharing networks in the world, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued it for contributing to copyright infringement.
Some of its peers fought the music industry, including Napster, Grokster, Kazaa, and StreamCast (see Grokster Loses). Instead, iMesh settled, paying out $4.1 million in July 2004.
posted by Fergie @ 10/25/2005 06:36:00 AM
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