Example of a GNUtella broadcast search. Illustrates searching, replying, packet meeting TTL and redundant loops.
Peer-to-Peer Timeline
July 1997:
Hotline Communications is founded, giving consumers software that lets them offer files for download from their own computers.
December 1997:
Scour, an entertainment portal with multimedia search technology, is founded.
January 1999:
Shawn Fanning, 18, creates the Napster application and service while a freshman at Northeastern University.
May 1999:
Napster Inc. is founded.
June 1999:
London programmer Ian Clarke completes the original Freenet design as a student at Edinburgh University, Scotland, and makes it available on the Internet.
December 7 1999:
The record industry sues Napster for copyright infringement.
March 14 2000:
America Online’s Nullsoft releases a file-swapping program dubbed Gnutella.
April 4 2000:
Scour announces the beta launch of Scour Exchange--file-sharing technology that lets people search for and trade video, picture, music and text files.
April 10 2000:
AOL shuts down the Gnutella project.
July 20 2000:
The record and motion picture industries sue Scour, alleging copyright infringement.
July 26 2000:
A federal judge orders Napster to halt the trading of copyrighted material.
July 28 2000:
FastTrack announces the launch of KaZaA
July 28 2000:
A federal appeals court stays the order against Napster pending an appeal of the decision.
August 24 2000:
Intel forms a peer-to-peer working group with IBM and Hewlett-Packard, among others.
October 12 2000:
Scour files for bankruptcy protection.
January 29, 2001:
Bertelsmann announces that Napster will introduce a membership fee for users in the summer of 2001.
February 12, 2001:
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Napster knew its users were violating copyright laws through its music file-sharing service, but the court allowed the Web site to stay in business until a lower court redrafts its injunction. The three-judge panel specifically cited a memo drafted by Napster’s co-founder Sean Parker as evidence the Web site knew its users were violating copyright laws. In that memo, the court said, Parker said the company needed to remain ignorant about the "real names" of the users because "they are exchanging pirated music." For that reason, the court found that Napster was involved in "contributory and vicarious infringement," and had full knowledge that it was allowing its users to infringe upon copyright laws.
Feb. 20, 2001:
Napster offers $1 billion settlement to record companies to drop their suits. The offer is rejected two days later.
March 2, 2001:
Napster lawyers tell a federal district court that they will implement a plan to prevent the songs from being traded and begin filtering a list of 1 million copyrighted files from its system.
March 14, 2001:
Napster signs an agreement California-based Gracenote, whose online song database is used for online information access and software applications. Napster will have full access to the database, which will help the complex task of filtering out copyrighted material.
June 5, 2001:
MusicNet and Napster reach an agreement to license its digital music on Napster’s new site.
June 25, 2001:
Napster signs a worldwide licensing agreement with the United Kingdom’s Association of Independent Music and the Independent Music Companies Association to provide music for its new subscription service.
June 27, 2001:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences files suit against Napster, charging that the online service has allowed users to download recordings of artists’ performances recorded during Oscar telecasts.
July 12, 2001:
Patel orders Napster to remain offline until it can show that it is able to effectively block access to copyrighted works. Metallica and Dr. Dre settle their legal disputes with Napster, ending all legal actions between the parties.
October 02, 2001 :
RIAA and MPAA file lawsuit against KaZaA
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