[DMCA-Activists] Nullsoft Lays Claim to WASTE

[Seth Johnson]

> http://www.corante.com/many/
> http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-1011585.html?tag=fd_top

---

> http://www.corante.com/many/

WASTE Update: New legal threats from Nullsoft

Nullsoft posted WASTE, a secure small workgroup package in its early stages
of development, at http://www.nullsoft.com/free/waste/. The link went 404
this morning, though there's a mirror here, and now, at the same URL, is
this message:

> NOTICE OF UNAUTHORIZED SOFTWARE 

> An unauthorized copy of Nullsoft's copyrighted
> software was briefly posted on this website on or
> about Wednesday May 28, 2003. The software was
> identified as "WASTE" (the "Software") and includes
> the files "waste-setup.exe", "waste-source.zip",
> "waste-source.tar.gz" and any additional files
> contained in these files. 

> Nullsoft is the exclusive owner of all right, title and
> interest in the Software. The posting of the Software
> on this website was not authorized by Nullsoft. 

> If you downloaded or otherwise obtained a copy of
> the Software, you acquired no lawful rights to the
> Software and must destroy any and all copies of the
> Software, including by deleting it from your
> computer. Any license that you may believe you
> acquired with the Software is void, revoked and
> terminated. 

> Any reproduction, distribution, display or other use of
> the Software by you is unauthorized and an
> infringement of Nullsoft's copyright in the Software
> as well as a potential violation of other laws. 

> Thank you. 

> Nullsoft 

This is very curious, as the original page was on the Nullsoft site, not
some third party site, and the source appeared under the GPL. There's also a
News.com story about it
(http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-1011585.html?tag=fd_top).

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> http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-1011585.html?tag=fd_top


AOL pulls Nullsoft file-sharing software 

By Jim Hu 
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 30, 2003, 2:06 PM PT

A day after developers at America Online's Nullsoft unit quietly released
file-sharing software, AOL pulled the link to the product from the
subsidiary's Web site. 

The software, called Waste, lets groups set up private, secure file-sharing
networks. The product became available on Nullsoft's Web site on Wednesday,
just days shy of the four-year anniversary of being acquired by AOL. Waste
is a software application that combines peer-to-peer file sharing with
instant messaging, chat and file searches. Users can set up their own
network of friends and share files between each other. 

The features of Waste are similar to those of file-swapping services such as
Kazaa and the defunct Napster, but the difference is that only small
networks of people (up to 50, according to the Web site) can use it. The
software also offers encryption and authentication to prevent non-invitees
from accessing the private networks. 

The quiet launch of Waste was the work of Nullsoft's principal developer,
Justin Frankel, a soft-spoken 20-something known for his tech savvy and his
streak of rebelliousness. 

Waste had been used internally to share files between AOL's San Francisco
office, where Nullsoft is based, and its Dulles, Va., headquarters,
according to Ian Rogers, a former founding member of Nullsoft. 

"The real play is when you've got small networks of co-workers or friends
who can share whatever they want securely," Rogers said in an interview. "It
could be a group of government officials sharing secure documents or it
could be Justin sharing video files with AOL Dulles." 

An AOL representative did not return requests for comment. 

Nullsoft has had its conflicts with AOL in the past, such as in 2000 when
Frankel developed a music file-swapping technology called Gnutella. AOL
quickly pulled it off the Web fearing legal ramifications, but not before
developers downloaded it and began creating services based on its software
code. 

AOL also forced Nullsoft to shut down an MP3 search engine, fearing the
legal consequences of the software. Then, Frankel and his cohorts caused a
stir when they developed software called AIMazing, which replaced banner
advertisements on AOL Instant Messenger into wiggling sound waves
accompanied by music. 

That's not to say all of Nullsoft's products have been a thorn in AOL's
side. AOL acquired Nullsoft in 1999 for its Winamp MP3 player and now uses
the technology in its flagship online service. AOL also has been revamping
its streaming-media delivery system by using another Nullsoft creation
called Ultravox, which AOL claims can stream media more efficiently than
other products on the market. AOL uses Ultravox to stream songs on its
narrowband and broadband radio services.

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