Court orders LimeWire shut down due to copyright infringement

October 27th 2010

File-sharing network LimeWire on Tuesday officially shut down after an order by a U.S. District Court judge on claims that the site's service was used "overwhelmingly for infringement."

The Recording Industry Association of American, which represents several important record labels such as Sony, EMI, Universal, and Warner, in 2006 filed a lawsuit against LimeWire. After years of legal procedures, the court determined that LimeWire was liable of copyright infringement.

"While this is not our ideal path, we hope to work with the music industry in moving forward," LimeWire said in a statement. "We look forward to embracing necessary changes and collaborating with the entire music industry in the future."

Accessing LimeWire's official website currently prompts a small popup window that reads:

"This is an official notice that LimeWire is under a court-ordered injuction to stop distributing and supporting its file-sharing software. Downloading or sharing copyrighted content without authorization is illegal."

However, Lime Group CEO and owner of LimeWire, George Searle, remained optimistic, saying that during this "challenging time, we are excited about the future."

"The injunction applies only to the LimeWire product. Our company remains open for business," Searle stated. "Our team of technologists and music enthusiasts is creating a completely new music service that puts you back at the center of your digital music experience," he added, underlining that the group was commited to working with the music industry.