<s>
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Media	I-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
(	O
once	O
stylized	O
as	O
"	O
KaZaA	B-Protocol
"	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
usually	O
written	O
"	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
"	O
)	O
was	O
a	O
peer-to-peer	O
file	O
sharing	O
application	O
using	O
the	O
FastTrack	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
licensed	O
by	O
Joltid	O
Ltd	O
.	O
and	O
operated	O
as	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
by	O
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kazaa	B-Protocol
was	O
subsequently	O
under	O
license	O
as	O
a	O
legal	O
music	O
subscription	O
service	O
by	O
Atrinsic	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
which	O
lasted	O
until	O
August	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
creators	O
,	O
Jaan	O
Tallinn	O
,	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
is	O
pronounced	O
"	O
ka-ZAH	O
"	O
(	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Media	I-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
was	O
commonly	O
used	O
to	O
exchange	O
MP3	B-Application
music	I-Application
files	O
and	O
other	O
file	O
types	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
videos	O
,	O
applications	O
,	O
and	O
documents	O
over	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Media	I-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
client	O
could	O
be	O
downloaded	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
bundled	O
with	O
adware	O
and	O
for	O
a	O
period	O
there	O
were	O
"	O
No	O
spyware	O
"	O
warnings	O
found	O
on	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
years	O
of	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
operation	O
,	O
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
and	O
its	O
business	O
partners	O
and	O
associates	O
were	O
the	O
target	O
of	O
copyright-related	O
lawsuits	O
,	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
content	O
distributed	O
via	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Media	I-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
on	O
the	O
FastTrack	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
August	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
website	O
was	O
no	O
longer	O
active	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kazaa	B-Protocol
and	O
FastTrack	B-Protocol
were	O
originally	O
created	O
and	O
developed	O
by	O
Estonian	O
programmers	O
from	O
BlueMoon	O
Interactive	O
including	O
Jaan	O
Tallinn	O
and	O
sold	O
to	O
Swedish	O
entrepreneur	O
Niklas	O
Zennström	O
and	O
Danish	O
programmer	O
Janus	O
Friis	O
(	O
who	O
were	O
later	O
to	O
create	O
Skype	B-Application
and	O
later	O
still	O
Joost	B-Operating_System
and	O
Rdio	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kazaa	B-Protocol
was	O
introduced	O
by	O
the	O
Dutch	O
company	O
Consumer	O
Empowerment	O
in	O
March	O
2001	O
,	O
near	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
generation	O
of	O
P2P	O
networks	O
typified	O
by	O
the	O
shutdown	O
of	O
Napster	B-Application
in	O
July	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Skype	B-Application
itself	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
P2P	O
backend	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
call	O
by	O
directly	O
connecting	O
them	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
some	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
network	O
were	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
Morpheus	B-Protocol
client	O
program	O
,	O
formerly	O
made	O
available	O
by	O
MusicCity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
the	O
official	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
client	O
became	O
more	O
widespread	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2002	O
,	O
when	O
Morpheus	B-Protocol
developers	O
failed	O
to	O
pay	O
license	O
fees	O
,	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
developers	O
used	O
an	O
automatic	O
update	O
ability	O
to	O
shut	O
out	O
Morpheus	B-Protocol
clients	O
by	O
changing	O
the	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morpheus	B-Protocol
later	O
became	O
a	O
client	O
of	O
the	O
gnutella	B-Protocol
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
court	O
ordered	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
owners	O
to	O
take	O
steps	O
to	O
prevent	O
its	O
users	O
from	O
violating	O
copyrights	O
or	O
else	O
pay	O
a	O
heavy	O
fine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
Consumer	O
Empowerment	O
sold	O
the	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
application	O
to	O
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
,	O
headquartered	O
in	O
Australia	O
and	O
incorporated	O
in	O
Vanuatu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
March	O
2002	O
,	O
a	O
Dutch	O
court	O
of	O
appeal	O
reversed	O
an	O
earlier	O
judgment	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
was	O
not	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
actions	O
of	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
signed	O
a	O
deal	O
with	O
Altnet	O
and	O
Streamwaves	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
convert	O
users	O
to	O
paying	O
,	O
legal	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Searchers	O
on	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
were	O
offered	O
a	O
free	O
30-second	O
sample	O
of	O
songs	O
for	O
which	O
they	O
were	O
searching	O
and	O
directed	O
to	O
sign	O
up	O
for	O
the	O
full-featured	O
Streamwaves	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
new	O
owner	O
,	O
Sharman	O
,	O
was	O
sued	O
in	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
by	O
the	O
major	O
record	O
labels	O
and	O
motion	O
pictures	O
studios	O
and	O
a	O
class	O
of	O
music	O
publishers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
defendants	O
in	O
that	O
case	O
(	O
Grokster	B-Protocol
and	O
MusicCity	O
,	O
makers	O
of	O
the	O
Morpheus	B-Protocol
file-sharing	O
software	O
)	O
initially	O
prevailed	O
against	O
the	O
plaintiffs	O
on	O
summary	O
judgment	O
(	O
Sharman	O
joined	O
the	O
case	O
too	O
late	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
that	O
ruling	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
summary	O
judgment	O
ruling	O
was	O
upheld	O
by	O
the	O
Ninth	O
Circuit	O
Court	O
of	O
Appeals	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
unanimously	O
reversed	O
by	O
the	O
US	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
in	O
a	O
decision	O
titled	O
MGM	O
Studios	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
v	O
.	O
Grokster	B-Protocol
,	O
Ltd	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
that	O
ruling	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
the	O
plaintiff	O
labels	O
and	O
studios	O
,	O
Grokster	B-Protocol
almost	O
immediately	O
settled	O
the	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sharman	O
also	O
agreed	O
to	O
convert	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
into	O
a	O
legal	O
music	O
download	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
creators	O
of	O
similar	O
products	O
,	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
owners	O
have	O
been	O
taken	O
to	O
court	O
by	O
music	O
publishing	O
bodies	O
to	O
restrict	O
its	O
use	O
in	O
the	O
sharing	O
of	O
copyrighted	O
material	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2004	O
,	O
the	O
Australian	O
Record	O
Industry	O
Association	O
(	O
ARIA	O
)	O
announced	O
its	O
own	O
legal	O
action	O
against	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
,	O
alleging	O
massive	O
copyright	O
breaches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
6	O
February	O
2005	O
,	O
the	O
homes	O
of	O
two	O
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
executives	O
and	O
the	O
offices	O
of	O
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
in	O
Australia	O
were	O
raided	O
under	O
a	O
court	O
order	O
by	O
ARIA	O
to	O
gather	O
evidence	O
for	O
the	O
trial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
September	O
2005	O
,	O
the	O
Federal	O
Court	O
of	O
Australia	O
issued	O
a	O
landmark	O
ruling	O
that	O
Sharman	O
,	O
though	O
not	O
itself	O
guilty	O
of	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
,	O
had	O
"	O
authorized	O
"	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
users	O
illegally	O
to	O
swap	O
copyrighted	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
court	O
ruled	O
six	O
defendants	O
—	O
including	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
owners	O
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
,	O
Sharman	O
's	O
Sydney-based	O
boss	O
Nikki	O
Hemming	O
and	O
associate	O
Kevin	O
Bermeister	O
—	O
had	O
knowingly	O
allowed	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
users	O
illegally	O
to	O
swap	O
copyrighted	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
December	O
2005	O
,	O
the	O
Federal	O
Court	O
of	O
Australia	O
ceased	O
downloads	O
of	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
in	O
Australia	O
after	O
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
failed	O
to	O
modify	O
their	O
software	O
by	O
the	O
5	O
December	O
deadline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
with	O
an	O
Australian	O
IP	O
address	O
were	O
greeted	O
with	O
the	O
message	O
"	O
Important	O
Notice	O
:	O
The	O
download	O
of	O
the	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Media	I-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
by	O
users	O
in	O
Australia	O
is	O
not	O
permitted	O
"	O
when	O
visiting	O
the	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
yet	O
another	O
set	O
of	O
related	O
cases	O
,	O
in	O
September	O
2003	O
,	O
the	O
Recording	O
Industry	O
Association	O
of	O
America	O
(	O
RIAA	O
)	O
filed	O
suit	O
in	O
civil	O
court	O
against	O
several	O
private	O
individuals	O
who	O
had	O
shared	O
large	O
numbers	O
of	O
files	O
with	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
;	O
most	O
of	O
these	O
suits	O
were	O
settled	O
with	O
monetary	O
payments	O
averaging	O
$	O
3,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sharman	B-Protocol
Networks	I-Protocol
responded	O
with	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
the	O
RIAA	O
,	O
alleging	O
that	O
the	O
terms	O
of	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
network	O
were	O
violated	O
and	O
that	O
unauthorized	O
client	O
software	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Lite	O
)	O
was	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
investigation	O
to	O
track	O
down	O
the	O
individual	O
file	O
sharers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
was	O
accused	O
of	O
sharing	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
1,702	O
songs	O
through	O
her	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thomas	O
testified	O
that	O
she	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
account	O
,	O
but	O
her	O
testimony	O
was	O
complicated	O
by	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
she	O
had	O
replaced	O
her	O
computer	O
's	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
after	O
the	O
alleged	O
downloading	O
took	O
place	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
than	O
she	O
originally	O
said	O
in	O
a	O
pre-trial	O
deposition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
StopBadware.org	O
identified	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
as	O
a	O
spyware	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cydoor	B-Application
(	O
spyware	O
)	O
:	O
Collects	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
PC	O
's	O
surfing	O
habits	O
and	O
passes	O
it	O
on	O
to	O
Cydoor	B-Application
Desktop	I-Application
Media	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Best	I-Application
Offers	I-Application
(	O
adware	O
)	O
:	O
Tracks	O
user	O
's	O
browsing	O
habits	O
and	O
internet	O
usage	O
to	O
display	O
advertisements	O
similar	O
to	O
their	O
interests	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TopSearch	O
(	O
adware	O
)	O
:	O
Displays	O
paid	O
songs	O
and	O
media	O
related	O
to	O
a	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
search	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RX	B-Protocol
Toolbar	I-Protocol
(	O
spyware	O
)	O
:	O
The	O
toolbar	O
monitors	O
all	O
sites	O
visited	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
Internet	O
Explorer	O
and	O
provides	O
links	O
to	O
competitors	O
 '	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New.net	B-Protocol
(	O
hijacker	O
)	O
:	O
A	O
browser	O
plugin	O
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
access	O
several	O
of	O
its	O
own	O
unofficial	O
Top	O
Level	O
Domain	O
names	O
,	O
e.g.	O
,	O
.chat	O
and	O
.shop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
purpose	O
of	O
this	O
was	O
to	O
sell	O
domain	O
names	O
such	O
as	O
www.record.shop	O
which	O
is	O
actually	O
www.record.shop.new.net	O
(	O
ICANN	B-Application
did	O
not	O
allow	O
third-party	O
registration	O
of	O
generic	O
top	O
level	O
domains	O
until	O
2012	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
"	O
clean	O
"	O
third-party	O
clients	O
such	O
as	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Lite	O
(	O
which	O
also	O
provided	O
slightly	O
extended	O
functionality	O
)	O
gained	O
popularity	O
with	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2002	O
,	O
by	O
mid-2005	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
Lite	O
was	O
almost	O
as	O
widely	O
used	O
as	O
the	O
official	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
client	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
it	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
FastTrack	B-Protocol
network	O
,	O
it	O
could	O
exchange	O
files	O
with	O
all	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kazaa	B-Protocol
's	O
legal	O
issues	O
ended	O
after	O
a	O
settlement	O
of	O
$100	O
million	O
in	O
reparations	O
to	O
the	O
recording	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Napster	B-Application
lasted	O
just	O
three	O
years	O
,	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
survived	O
much	O
longer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
lawsuits	O
(	O
and	O
a	O
failed	O
venture	O
into	O
a	O
legal	O
,	O
monthly	O
music	O
subscription	O
service	O
similar	O
to	O
Napster	B-Application
)	O
eventually	O
ended	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
