Remember Kazaa, the file-sharing service you drunkenly hooked up with for a few weeks in the summer of 2001, only to forget about when you spotted that super-hot Soulseek? Well, they’ve fallen on hard times:
[Kazaa] has reached a tentative settlement in the last of three major lawsuits against it. Under the agreement with the National Music Publishers’ Association, Kazaa agreed to pay music publishers and songwriters a “substantial sum,” the association said. Though it not disclose the figure, a person with knowledge of the terms of the deal said it was about $10 million….
Kazaa, which is operated by Sharman Networks in Australia, settled separate lawsuits by recording artists and motion picture studios in July, agreeing to pay a total of $115 million.
That’s $125 million in fines, all so you could download a low-bitrate version of White Blood Cells and the first half-hour of Zoolander. We know it’s awkward, but maybe you should, you know, send them an email and see how they’re doing. It’s the least you could do for an old flame who’s fallen on hard times.
Kazaa Said to Pay $10 Million in Settlement [NY Times]
Did kazaa even have any income streams? How do you make money by facillitating file sharing? Wouldn’t any advertisers also be lible?
Marge: What exactly is it your company does again?
Homer: This industry moves so fast it’s really hard to tell.
Kazaa made money by throwing all the spyware/adware on your computer.