AfterDawn: News

Sharman Networks gets sued by Kazaa coder

Romanian programmer Fabian Toader has sued Sharman Networks, the owner of popular file-sharing software Kazaa, over alleged copyright violations. The case doesn't relate to P2P network and files that are shared in it, but relates to the period back in year 2000 when Toader wrote parts of the Kazaa software for Kazaa BV (the original Dutch owner of the Kazaa software that later sold the software to Sharman).

Mr. Toader claims that he worked as a freelancer for Kazaa BV and helped to write the Kazaa Media Desktop software, but didn't sign any contract that would have automatically transferred the copyrights to Kazaa BV.



The fight between Toader and Sharman has been going on for quite a while now, even though it hasn't managed to get into headlines. Back in summer of 2003, Sharman sued Toader alleging him to blackmail the company. The recent lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles by Mr. Toader, is a second one filed by him against Sharman. Mr. Toader currently lives in the States and works for Microsoft. He wants Sharman to pay for his work that has been downloaded, including only the latest version, for over 335 million times according to Sharman Networks.

Source: BBC

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 17 Mar 2004 16:06

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• 12 comments

• Nephilim

  There's more lawsuits flying around these days then there are people.

  17.3.2004 17:12 #1

• Daskins

  i think they should pay him..lol

  17.3.2004 17:40 #2

• hobogod

  heres another example of what microsoft does to an individual. i thing we should have expected this

  17.3.2004 22:34 #3

• Ghostdog

  But wouldn´t it good if Sharman was forced to pay this guy? I´ve never respected that company.

  18.3.2004 04:14 #4

• Nephilim

  If what he's claiming is true then they should absolutely have to pay him. Trying to keep up with all these lawsuits makes my head spin tho.

  18.3.2004 06:58 #5

• Toiletman

  Hobogod, this is not the time to diss M$. You will have plenty of other opportunities -_-
  
  Anyway, I think they should pay him since, 335,000,000 is no small number. He created the software afterall, and we dumped all the shit in it.

  18.3.2004 09:31 #6

• Daskins

  yep we dumped all the crap in the software that he created and the software is good (well for the first couple of months)then that network got plagued with viruses and stuff, well i still think they should pay him.

  18.3.2004 13:04 #7

• hobogod

  haha good call toilet man. I do agree with sharman paying him. Its a pitty that sharman decided to make people pay for their service in the first place. Although now, free networks are flourishing whre sharman has failed, so kazaa ending may not be a bad thing for the industry.

  18.3.2004 13:32 #8

• YODA999

  JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF MICROSOFT TRYING TO CONTROL SOMETHING IF THIS GUY SUCEEDS WITH THE ALLEDGED MONEY OF MICROSSOFT THEN I DONT THINK SHARMAN NETWORKS STAND A CHANCE AND THIS WILL BE ANOTHER P2P SITE THAT GOES DOWN THE SWANNY JUST LIKE MORPHEUS DID THEY WILL END UP CHARGING FOR IT.

  19.3.2004 08:47 #9

• Daskins

  well i guess bye, bye Kazaa

  19.3.2004 12:31 #10

• hobogod

  kazaa network wont die for a long time folks, dont get down :*|
  kazaa client on the other hand was doomed from the day they inserted spyware. the network will live because we all use kazaa lite/resurection watever u want to call it now
  so keep on sharing people

  21.3.2004 20:13 #11

• Ghostdog

  Since we´re kind of on the topic and since I´ve been wanting to go back to Fasttrack...
  
  What Kazaa client is the best right now? I heard Kazaa Lite is still in the works but still at a "RC" stage, as in not final. And now KLR, different installers, nsane edition... one goes woozy.
  
  So what are the differences between the different releases and which is the best?

  22.3.2004 04:00 #12