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Version History: LimeWire

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

Version History: LimeWire

The Vergecast

Nov 16
The Vergecast

The Vergecast

Nov 16
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

You wouldn't steal a car. You wouldn't steal a handbag. But plenty of people used LimeWire and other file sharing services to share music, movies and more. If Napster was the beginning of the piracy story, LimeWire may have been the final chapter. Nilay Pa...

Highlights

In the early 2000s, file-sharing wasn't just a tech trend—it was a cultural rebellion. As digital music exploded in popularity, platforms like LimeWire offered users unprecedented access to content, challenging long-standing norms around ownership and copyright. This episode dives into the rise and fall of one of the most notorious peer-to-peer services, exploring how it both reflected and shaped the legal and technological landscape of its time.
07:49
Mark Gorton pivoted from high-speed trading to create LimeWire after Napster fell.
10:25
LimeWire aimed to combine peer-to-peer sharing with legitimate commerce from the start.
18:24
LimeWire made $20 million a year before shutting down in 2006.
20:44
The Supreme Court's Betamax decision implied a 10% threshold for non-infringing uses in copyright law.
29:08
The Supreme Court's inducement standard changed how tech platforms are held liable for user infringement.
40:34
The lawsuit against LimeWire hinged on the legal concept of inducement.
43:01
The judge ruled that LimeWire's filter development supported the RIAA's claim of knowing infringement.
48:08
Statutory damages in copyright law don't reflect real-world file-sharing behaviors
56:19
Privatized services like Spotify lack democratic oversight compared to public collection societies.
1:09:20
The future of defunct tech brands like LimeWire may lie in NFTs or digital collectibles.

Chapters

What Was LimeWire, and Why Did Everyone Use It?
00:00
How Did We Start Thinking Stealing Music Was Okay?
10:25
Why Was LimeWire So Risky to Use?
15:27
How Did the Law Finally Catch Up with File-Sharing?
20:44
Did the Grokster Case Change the Rules for Tech Companies?
26:31
Could LimeWire Have Avoided Being Sued Out of Existence?
34:12
Was LimeWire Trying to Go Legit—Or Just Pretending?
43:01
How Did $72 Trillion in Damages End in a $105 Million Settlement?
48:08
Was File-Sharing Inevitable, and Could Apple Have Stopped It?
56:19
What Did LimeWire Teach Us About Digital Culture?
1:07:02
Does LimeWire Deserve a Place in Tech History?
1:12:11

Transcript

David Pierce: Welcome to The Vergecast. I'm your friend David Pierce, and you're about to hear another episode of our new show, Version History. Before we get into it, one reminder, send us all of your feedback about the show. Everything you like, everythi...