Editing History of the Internet (section)

===File sharing===
{{Main |File sharing |Peer-to-peer file sharing |Timeline of file sharing}}

Resource or file sharing has been an important activity on computer networks from well before the Internet was established and was supported in a variety of ways including [[bulletin board systems]] (1978), [[Usenet]] (1980), [[Kermit (software)|Kermit]] (1981), and many others. The [[File Transfer Protocol]] (FTP) for use on the Internet was standardized in 1985 and is still in use today.<ref>{{cite ietf |rfc=959 |title=RFC 959: File Transfer Protocol (FTP) |author=J. Postel |author2=J. Reynolds |date=October 1985}}</ref> A variety of tools were developed to aid the use of FTP by helping users discover files they might want to transfer, including the [[Wide Area Information Server]] (WAIS) in 1991, [[Gopher (protocol)|Gopher]] in 1991, [[Archie search engine|Archie]] in 1991, [[Veronica (search engine)|Veronica]] in 1992, [[Jughead (search engine)|Jughead]] in 1993, [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC) in 1988, and eventually the [[World Wide Web]] (WWW) in 1991 with [[Web directories]] and [[Web search engines]].

In 1999, [[Napster]] became the first [[peer-to-peer file sharing]] system.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kenneth P. Birman |title=Reliable Distributed Systems: Technologies, Web Services, and Applications |url=https://archive.org/details/reliabledistribu0000birm |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/reliabledistribu0000birm/page/532 532] |access-date=2012-01-20 |date=2005-03-25 |publisher=Springer-Verlag New York Incorporated |isbn=978-0-387-21509-9 }}</ref> Napster used a central server for indexing and peer discovery, but the storage and transfer of files was decentralized. A variety of peer-to-peer file sharing programs and services with different levels of decentralization and [[Anonymity application|anonymity]] followed, including: [[Gnutella]], [[eDonkey2000]], and [[Freenet]] in 2000, [[FastTrack]], [[Kazaa]], [[Limewire]], and [[BitTorrent (software)|BitTorrent]] in 2001, and Poisoned in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |last=Menta |first=Richard |title=Napster Clones Crush Napster. Take 6 out of the Top 10 Downloads on CNet |date=July 20, 2001 |publisher=MP3 Newswire |url=http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2001/topclones.html |access-date=March 30, 2012 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185434/http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2001/topclones.html  }}</ref>

All of these tools are general purpose and can be used to share a wide variety of content, but sharing of music files, software, and later movies and videos are major uses.<ref>{{cite web | title=Movie File-Sharing Booming: Study | website=srgnet.com | date=28 January 2007 | url=http://www.srgnet.com/pdf/Movie%20File-Sharing%20Booming%20Release%20Jan%2024%2007%20Final.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217011553/http://www.srgnet.com/pdf/Movie%20File-Sharing%20Booming%20Release%20Jan%2024%2007%20Final.pdf | archive-date=17 February 2012 }}</ref> And while some of this sharing is legal, large portions are not. Lawsuits and other legal actions caused Napster in 2001, eDonkey2000 in 2005, [[Kazaa]] in 2006, and Limewire in 2010 to shut down or refocus their efforts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Menta |first=Richard |title=RIAA Sues Music Startup Napster for $20 Billion |date=December 9, 1999 |publisher=MP3 Newswire |url=http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/napster.html |access-date=March 30, 2012 |archive-date=June 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627120059/http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/napster.html  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://w2.eff.org/IP/P2P/p2p_copyright_wp.php |title=EFF: What Peer-to-Peer Developers Need to Know about Copyright Law |publisher=W2.eff.org |access-date=2012-01-20  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115034129/http://w2.eff.org/IP/P2P/p2p_copyright_wp.php |archive-date=January 15, 2012 }}</ref> [[The Pirate Bay]], founded in Sweden in 2003, continues despite a [[The Pirate Bay trial|trial and appeal in 2009 and 2010]] that resulted in jail terms and large fines for several of its founders.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Kobie, Nicole |title=Pirate Bay trio lose appeal against jail sentences |url=http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/363178/pirate-bay-trio-lose-appeal-against-jail-sentences |work=pcpro.co.uk |publisher=PCPRO |date=November 26, 2010 |access-date=November 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421081922/http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/363178/pirate-bay-trio-lose-appeal-against-jail-sentences |archive-date=April 21, 2014  }}</ref> File sharing remains contentious and controversial with charges of theft of [[intellectual property]] on the one hand and charges of [[censorship]] on the other.<ref>{{cite web | title=Poll: Young Say File Sharing OK | website=CBS News | date=18 September 2003 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-young-say-file-sharing-ok/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030919194542/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/18/opinion/polls/main573990.shtml | archive-date=September 19, 2003  | url-status=live | access-date=March 31, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Green|first=Stuart P.|title=OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR; When Stealing Isn't Stealing|work=The New York Times|page=27|date=29 March 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/opinion/theft-law-in-the-21st-century.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/opinion/theft-law-in-the-21st-century.html |archive-date=2022-01-02 |url-access=limited |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>