Editing LimeWire (section)

== Forks and alternatives ==
A number of [[Fork (software development)|forks]] of LimeWire have been released, many with the goal of giving users more freedom, or in objection to design decisions made by the original developers.

=== FrostWire ===
{{Main|FrostWire}}

FrostWire was started in September 2004 by members of the LimeWire community, after LimeWire's distributor considered adding "blocking" code, in response to [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] pressure and the threat of legal action, in light of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]]'s decision in ''[[MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.]]''. When eventually activated, the code could block its users from sharing licensed files. This code was changed when lawsuits had been filed against LimeWire for P2P downloading. It had blocked all their users and redirected them to FrostWire.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} FrostWire has since completely moved to the [[BitTorrent (protocol)|BitTorrent protocol]] from [[Gnutella]] (LimeWire's file sharing network).

=== LimeWire Pirate Edition/WireShare ===
{{Main|WireShare}}
In November 2010, as a response to the legal challenges regarding LimeWire, an anonymous individual by the handle of Meta Pirate released a modified version of LimeWire Pro, which was named LimeWire Pirate Edition.<ref name="Humphries"/><ref name="Albanesius">{{Cite news |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372412,00.asp |title=Report: LimeWire 'Resurrected' by Secret Dev Team & Opinion |work=[[PC Magazine]]|last=Albanesius |first=Chloe |date=November 9, 2010  |access-date=November 30, 2010}}</ref> It came without the Ask.com toolbar, [[adware|advertising]], [[spyware]], and [[backdoor (computing)|backdoors]], as well as all dependencies on Lime Wire LLC servers.<ref name="Anderson">{{Cite news |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/11/horde-of-piratical-monkeys-resurrects-limewire-pirate-edition.ars |title=Horde of piratical monkeys creates LimeWire: Pirate Edition |last=Anderson |first=Nate |work=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=November 30, 2010}}</ref>

In response to allegations that a current or former member of Lime Wire LLC staff wrote and released the software, the company has stated they were "not behind these efforts. LimeWire does not authorize them. LimeWire is complying with the Court's October 26, 2010 injunction."<ref name="Humphries">{{cite web |url=http://www.geek.com/articles/news/limewire-is-back-as-limewire-pirate-edition-2010119/ |title=LimeWire is back as LimeWire Pirate Edition (UPDATED) – Tech Products & Geek News |last=Humphries |first=Matthew |date=November 9, 2010 <!-- (6:00&nbsp;am) --> |publisher=Geek.com |access-date=November 30, 2010 |archive-date=December 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201020154/http://www.geek.com/articles/news/limewire-is-back-as-limewire-pirate-edition-2010119/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The LimeWire team, after being accused by the RIAA of being complicit in the development of LimeWire Pirate Edition,<ref name="cnet-2">{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20023365-261.html |title=RIAA wants revived LimeWire dead and buried |last=Sandoval |first=Greg |publisher=[[CNET]] |date=November 19, 2010 |access-date=May 12, 2011}}</ref> swiftly acted to shut down the LimeWire Pirate Edition website. A court order was issued to close down the website, and, to remain anonymous, Meta Pirate, the developer of LimeWire PE, did not contest the order.<ref name="enigmax2">{{cite web |url=http://torrentfreak.com/limewire-pirate-edition-site-nuked-by-cheap-and-dishonest-riaa-action-101119/ |title=LimeWire Pirate Edition Site Nuked By 'Cheap and Dishonest' RIAA Action |author=enigmax |work=[[TorrentFreak]] |date=November 19, 2010 |access-date=May 12, 2011}}</ref>

Following the shutdown, the original LimeWire Pirate Edition project was reforked into WireShare, with the intent to keep the Gnutella network alive and to maintain a good faith continuation of the original project (without adware or spyware); development of the software continues to this day.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/wireshare/ |title=WireShare |website=SourceForge |language=en |access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gnutellaforums.com/getting-started-using-limewire-wireshare/102701-wireshare-formerly-entitled-limewire-pirate-edition.html |title=WireShare (formerly entitled LimeWire Pirate Edition) |website=gnutellaforums.com |access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref>{{When|date=April 2021}}

=== MuWire ===
MuWire was released in August 2020 as a free software program resembling LimeWire. Developed by a former LimeWire developer, it uses [[I2P]] to anonymize connections and transfers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://torrentfreak.com/limewire-developer-creates-muwire-an-anonymous-file-sharing-application-200814/ |title=LimeWire Developer Creates MuWire, an Anonymous File-Sharing Application}}</ref> MuWire's developer had purchased the limewire.com domain after it had been allowed to expire, and redirected traffic to MuWire's website for approximately two years, until finally selling it to an unaffiliated party.<ref name=tf-nft/>