Editing Upload (section)

==Copyright issues==
The rising popularity of file sharing during the 1990s culminated in the emergence of [[Napster]], a music-sharing [[Computing platform|platform]] specialized in [[MP3]] files that used peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technology to allow users exchange files freely. The P2P nature meant there was no central gatekeeper for the content, which eventually led to the widespread availability of [[Copyright|copyrighted]] material through Napster.

The [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) took notice of Napster's ability to distribute copyrighted music among its user base, and, on December 6, 1999, filed a [[A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc. (2000)|motion]] for a [[Injunction|preliminary injunction]] in order to stop the exchange of copyrighted songs on the service. After a failed appeal by Napster, the injunction was granted on March 5, 2001.<ref>2001 US Dist. LEXIS 2186 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 5, 2001), aff’d, 284 F. 3d 1091 (9th Cir. 2002)</ref> On September 24, 2001, Napster, which had already shut down its entire network two months earlier,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/12/technology/ebusiness/napster-is-told-to-remain-shut.html|title=Napster is told to remain shut|last=Richtel|first=Matt|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=12 July 2001|access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref> agreed to pay a $26 million dollar settlement.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cnet.com/news/napster-reaches-settlement-with-publishers|title=Napster reaches settlement with publishers|last=Borland|first=John|date=2 March 2002|access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref> 

After Napster had ceased operations, many other P2P file-sharing services also shut down, such as [[Limewire]], [[Kazaa]] and [[Popcorn Time]]. Besides [[software|software programs]], there were many [[Comparison of BitTorrent sites|BitTorrent websites]] that allowed files to be indexed and searched. These files could then be downloaded via a [[Comparison of BitTorrent clients|BitTorrent client]]. While the BitTorrent protocol itself is legal and agnostic of the type of content shared, many of the services that did not enforce a strict policy to take down copyrighted material would eventually also run into legal difficulties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/208895/Limewire_Shut_Down_Permanently.html|title=LimeWire shut down permanently|last=Jacobson Purewall|first=Sarah|date=27 October 2010|access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/11/30/KaZaA.shut.down.idg/index.html|title=Judge orders shut-down of popular Napster-like site|last=Evers|first=Joris|date=30 November 2001|access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref>