P2P has never been legal, but well there is always the saying – Do and not get caught!

In Japan, Winny is the most popular P2P file-sharing software.

The software developter, Isamu Kaneko, was prosecuted by Kyoto Prosecutors Office. Kaneko was found guilty and fined 1.5 million yen (1, 500, 000). Kaneko and the prosecuter both appealed to Osaka High Court. On 4th January, 2009, Toshimitsu Dan, a lawyer of the defendant, and supporters of the defendant had a meeting to share latest information about the trial.

An abstract from Wikipedia:

Critics of Kaneko have stated that the main purpose of Winny is to violate copyright law, unlike Freenet, another peer-to-peer system that Winny is often compared to, which claims to protect freedom of speech. These critics also claim that 2ch’s Download Software board, where the software was first announced, is a haven for copyright violators, and that Kaneko himself had said that the aim of development of Winny is to push the tide towards a world filled with copyright infringement, quoting several posts from 2ch.

Whose side are you on? As long as the internet remains, P2P is always possible. With cheap broadband connections at home, it is easier to access things online compared to the olden days. One way to truly stop file-sharing is to limit our internet connections such that it is only usable for you to check your email.

Note: Currently Share has taken over after Winny’s development stopped.

Well let us hope that there will be a day where we pay for such softwares to download “legally”.

Source: Asiajin