<s>
Madster	B-Protocol
(	O
initially	O
called	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
)	O
was	O
a	O
peer-to-peer	O
file	O
sharing	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Napster	B-Application
's	O
wake	O
in	O
August	O
2000	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
December	O
2002	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
by	O
the	O
Recording	O
Industry	O
Association	O
of	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
John	B-Protocol
Deep	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
professor	O
at	O
Rensselaer	O
Polytechnic	O
Institute	O
,	O
the	O
Madster	B-Protocol
software	O
was	O
originally	O
inspired	O
by	O
his	O
daughter	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
idea	O
was	O
to	O
combine	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
with	O
file	O
sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	B-Protocol
Deep	I-Protocol
's	O
daughter	O
Aimee	O
had	O
an	O
interest	O
in	O
providing	O
privacy	O
to	O
her	O
online	O
friends	O
;	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
was	O
lacking	O
when	O
it	O
came	O
to	O
privacy	O
protection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Madster	B-Protocol
service	O
was	O
initially	O
called	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
later	O
renamed	O
to	O
Madster	B-Protocol
due	O
to	O
concerns	O
that	O
the	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
name	O
infringed	O
AOL	O
's	O
AIM	B-Protocol
(	O
AOL	B-Protocol
Instant	I-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
)	O
trademark	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Madster	B-Protocol
software	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
files	O
via	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
share	O
files	O
specifically	O
with	O
users	O
who	O
were	O
included	O
on	O
a	O
"	O
buddy	B-Protocol
list	I-Protocol
"	O
with	O
the	O
advantage	O
of	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
March	O
2001	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
encrypted	O
network	O
communications	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
a	O
new	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Madster	B-Protocol
software	O
(	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
name	O
was	O
still	O
in	O
use	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
other	O
things	O
,	O
the	O
Madster	B-Protocol
service	O
hoped	O
that	O
the	O
US	O
Digital	O
Millennium	O
Copyright	O
Act	O
would	O
have	O
the	O
effect	O
of	O
prohibiting	O
others	O
from	O
monitoring	B-Protocol
the	O
encrypted	O
Madster	B-Protocol
network	O
communications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
Madster	B-Protocol
operators	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
encryption	O
meant	O
that	O
they	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
aware	O
of	O
any	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
that	O
took	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
on	O
,	O
around	O
April-May	O
2001	O
,	O
a	O
service	O
was	O
introduced	O
wherein	O
a	O
network	O
including	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
people	O
could	O
be	O
searched	O
for	O
music	O
and	O
other	O
content	O
and	O
new	O
users	O
would	O
by	O
default	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
this	O
network	O
although	O
users	O
could	O
choose	O
to	O
instead	O
restrict	O
trading	O
to	O
buddy	B-Protocol
list	I-Protocol
members	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Magazine	O
gave	O
Madster	B-Protocol
a	O
1	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
rating	O
of	O
"	O
Dismal	O
,	O
"	O
based	O
on	O
interface	O
design	O
,	O
partner	O
advertising	O
,	O
and	O
content	O
selection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
short	O
time	O
,	O
Capitol	O
Records	O
authorized	O
Madster	B-Protocol
(	O
which	O
was	O
called	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
to	O
provide	O
some	O
Radiohead	O
video	O
files	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
's	O
Web	O
site	O
and	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
skin	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Madster	B-Protocol
software	O
that	O
had	O
a	O
Radiohead	O
theme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earlier	O
on	O
in	O
September	O
,	O
the	O
court	O
stated	O
that	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
had	O
knowledge	O
of	O
copyright	O
infringements	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
Web-based	O
"	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
Guardian	O
"	O
tutorial	O
that	O
showed	O
copyrighted	O
materials	O
and	O
the	O
tracking	O
of	O
popular	O
songs	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
via	O
"	O
Club	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
"	O
;	O
the	O
latter	O
also	O
indicated	O
contribution	O
to	O
infringing	O
activity	O
and	O
the	O
monthly	O
fees	O
for	O
the	O
service	O
indicated	O
a	O
financial	O
interest	O
for	O
the	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
operators	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
infringing	O
usage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
requirement	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
sign	O
up	O
and	O
log	O
in	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
service	O
meant	O
that	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
was	O
in	O
a	O
position	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
activities	O
of	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
injunction	O
to	O
disconnect	O
was	O
upheld	O
in	O
June	O
2003	O
by	O
the	O
decision	O
in	O
In	O
re	O
Aimster	B-Protocol
Copyright	O
Litigation	O
of	O
the	O
7th	O
U.S.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
found	O
that	O
Madster	B-Protocol
's	O
support	O
of	O
encrypted	O
file	O
sharing	O
was	O
"	O
willful	O
blindness	O
"	O
and	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
valid	O
defense	O
with	O
regard	O
to	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Madster	B-Protocol
was	O
represented	O
in	O
court	O
by	O
Boies	O
,	O
Schiller	O
&	O
Flexner	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
law	O
firm	O
which	O
defended	O
Napster	B-Application
.	O
</s>
