LimeWire Liable for Copyright Infringement

The legal battle between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and file-sharing software provider LimeWire has finally come to an end. The verdict? LimeWire is being charged with copyright infringement and may be removed from the Internet if record labels choose to file an injunction, according to The Guardian.

The RIAA, which represents the four largest labels in America (EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group), sued LimeWire for copyright infringement in 2006. To say their victory against the peer-to-peer file-sharing program, which, according to CNET, has been downloaded more than 200 million times, is notable, would be an understatement.

Although the amount of monetary damages LimeWire will be forced to pay has yet to be determined, “the RIAA has claimed they are owed up to $150,000 for every infringing work,” as reported by The Guardian.

In response to the federal-court decision, LimeWire chief executive George Searle told The Guardian he and the rest of the company’s owners will “[remain] committed to developing innovative products and services for the end-user and to working with the entire music industry, including the major labels, to achieve this mission.”

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