LimeWire, the popular peer-to-peer service used by millions for sharing pirated copies of films, music and television shows, has been officially shut down by a US Federal Court.
Chief executive George Searle said in a statement that was disappointed with the decision and that he would be looking to create a new type of music service.
“We are extremely proud of our pioneering history and have, for years, worked hard to bridge the gap between technology and content rights holders,” Searle said.
“However, at this time, we have no option but to cease further distribution and support of our software.”
The service was officially launched in 2000 and became one o the most popular methods for sharing files on the internet. However, in the past few years, a number of torrent sites and peer to peer services, like Kazaa, have been ordered to stop operating.
“We’ll be sharing more details about our new service and look forward to bringing it to you in the future,” Searle said.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
