Copyright issues[edit]

The rising popularity of file sharing during the 1990s culminated in the emergence
of Napster, a music-sharing platform specialized in MP3 files that used peer-to-peer
(P2P) file-sharing technology to allow users exchange files freely. The P2P nature
meant there was no central gatekeeper for the content, which eventually led to the
widespread availability of copyrighted material through Napster.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) took notice of Napster's ability to
distribute copyrighted music among its user base, and, on December 6, 1999, filed
a motion for a preliminary injunction in order to stop the exchange of copyrighted songs
on the service. After a failed appeal by Napster, the injunction was granted on March 5,
2001.[9] On September 24, 2001, Napster, which had already shut down its entire
network two months earlier,[10] agreed to pay a $26 million dollar settlement.[11]
After Napster had ceased operations, many other P2P file-sharing services followed in
its wake, such as Limewire, Kazaa and Popcorn Time. Besides software programs,
there were many BitTorrent websites that allowed files to be indexed and searched.
These files could then be downloaded via a BitTorrent client. While the BitTorrent
protocol itself is legal and agnostic of the type of content shared, many of the services
that did not enforce a strict policy to take down copyrighted material would eventually
also run into legal difficulties.[12][13]