<s>
BearShare	B-Protocol
was	O
a	O
peer-to-peer-file-sharing-application	O
originally	O
created	O
by	O
Free	O
Peers	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
also	O
a	O
rebranded	O
version	O
of	O
iMesh	B-Protocol
by	O
MusicLab	O
,	O
LLC	O
,	O
tightly	O
integrated	O
with	O
their	O
music	O
subscription	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bearshare	B-Protocol
was	O
launched	O
on	O
December	O
4	O
,	O
2000	O
as	O
a	O
Gnutella-based	O
peer-to-peer	O
file	O
sharing	O
application	O
with	O
innovative	O
features	O
that	O
eventually	O
grew	O
to	O
include	O
IRC	O
,	O
a	O
free	O
library	O
of	O
software	O
and	O
media	O
called	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
Featured	O
Artists	O
,	O
online	O
help	O
pages	O
and	O
a	O
support	O
forum	O
integrated	O
as	O
dedicated	O
web	O
browser	O
windows	O
in	O
the	O
application	O
;	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
media	O
player	O
and	O
a	O
library	O
window	O
to	O
organize	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
media	O
collection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
June	O
27	O
,	O
2005	O
United	O
States	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
decision	O
on	O
the	O
MGM	O
Studios	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
v	O
.	O
Grokster	O
,	O
Ltd	O
.	O
case	O
the	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
Community	O
support	O
forums	O
were	O
abruptly	O
closed	O
during	O
negotiations	O
to	O
settle	O
an	O
impending	O
lawsuit	O
with	O
the	O
RIAA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
webmaster	O
and	O
forum	O
administrator	O
immediately	O
created	O
a	O
new	O
site	O
called	O
Technutopia	O
and	O
the	O
same	O
support	O
staff	O
continue	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
gnutella	B-Protocol
versions	O
from	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
the	O
unused	O
Community	O
window	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
5.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
4	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
Free	O
Peers	O
agreed	O
to	O
transfer	O
all	O
their	O
BearShare-related	O
assets	O
to	O
MusicLab	O
,	O
LLC	O
(	O
an	O
iMesh	B-Protocol
subsidiary	O
)	O
and	O
use	O
the	O
$30	O
million	O
raised	O
from	O
that	O
sale	O
to	O
settle	O
with	O
the	O
RIAA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
17	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
MusicLab	O
released	O
a	O
reskinned	O
and	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
iMesh	B-Protocol
named	O
BearSharev6	O
which	O
connected	O
to	O
its	O
proprietary	B-Application
iMesh	B-Protocol
network	O
instead	O
of	O
gnutella	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
BearShareV6	O
and	O
its	O
successors	O
offer	O
paid	O
music	O
downloads	O
in	O
the	O
PlaysForSure	O
DRM	O
controlled	O
WMA	B-Application
format	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
free	O
content	O
in	O
various	O
formats	O
,	O
chiefly	O
MP3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
they	O
also	O
include	O
a	O
media	O
player	O
and	O
embedded	O
online	O
and	O
social	O
networking	O
features	O
but	O
with	O
a	O
Web	O
2.0	O
style	O
,	O
somewhat	O
similar	O
to	O
MySpace	B-Application
or	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Free	O
content	O
provided	O
by	O
users	O
is	O
automatically	O
verified	O
using	O
acoustic	B-Algorithm
fingerprinting	I-Algorithm
as	O
non-infringing	O
before	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
shared	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2006	O
,	O
MusicLab	O
released	O
a	O
variant	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
gnutella	B-Protocol
servant	O
,	O
called	O
BearFlix	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
was	O
altered	O
to	O
limit	O
sharing	O
,	O
searches	O
and	O
downloads	O
to	O
images	O
and	O
videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
version	O
numbers	O
appear	O
to	O
start	O
from	O
1.1.2.1	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
but	O
it	O
presents	O
itself	O
on	O
the	O
gnutella	B-Protocol
network	O
as	O
versions	O
6.1.2.1	O
to	O
6.2.2.530	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
responding	O
to	O
uncertainty	O
around	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
PlaysForSure	O
,	O
MusicLab	O
added	O
iPod	B-Device
support	O
in	O
BearShareV7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
12	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
is	O
no	O
longer	O
available	O
to	O
download	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
variants	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
gnutella	B-Protocol
servant	O
were	O
distributed	O
by	O
Free	O
Peers	O
:	O
Free	O
,	O
Lite	O
,	O
and	O
Pro	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
lacking	O
MusicLab	O
's	O
support	O
a	O
wide	O
spread	O
of	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
versions	O
from	O
4.7	O
to	O
5.2.5.6	O
remain	O
the	O
second	O
most	O
popular	O
servant	O
on	O
gnutella	B-Protocol
,	O
alongside	O
LimeWire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Old-School	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
gnutella	B-Protocol
versions	O
tend	O
to	O
favour	O
the	O
last	O
of	O
the	O
beta	O
versions	O
,	O
5.1.0	O
beta25	O
,	O
because	O
it	O
has	O
no	O
adware	O
,	O
is	O
hard-coded	O
for	O
performance	O
levels	O
roughly	O
between	O
Pro	O
and	O
regular	O
(	O
ad-supported	O
)	O
versions	O
and	O
has	O
the	O
unique	O
ability	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
leaf	O
and	O
ultrapeer	B-Protocol
mode	O
on	O
demand	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
deemed	O
necessary	O
for	O
effective	O
testing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
other	O
gnutella	B-Protocol
servant	O
has	O
enjoyed	O
this	O
capability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Customers	O
in	O
Canada	O
and	O
the	O
U.S.A.	O
could	O
opt	O
for	O
a	O
$14.95	O
monthly	O
"	O
BearShare	B-Protocol
ToGo	O
"	O
subscription	O
which	O
allowed	O
downloads	O
of	O
premium	O
music	O
to	O
portable	O
music	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
