Google has pulled the popular Grooveshark music app from the Android Market, following accusations from the record labels that the service facilitates piracy.
When asked for comment, Google only said that it “removes apps from Android Market that violate [its] terms of service.”
Apple removed the app from the iOS store last August after it received a complaint from the Universal Music Group.
Google is currently in the midst of speaking before the House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating whether the search giant aids piracy by offering AdSense to all sites, including those that offer pirated movies, music and more.
Grooveshark hosts over 6 million tracks.
Result for: pirate
Spanish researchers at the Carlos III University of Madrid have posted interesting results today in regards to filesharing.
The researchers say a tiny fraction of users are responsible for over two-thirds of all content published, and over three-fourths of all downloads.
Using the names, ISPs and IP addresses of uploaders and downloaders to 55,000 torrents published to Mininova and the Pirate Bay, the group concluded that just 100 users were behind 67 percent of the uploads and 75 percent of the downloads.
Result for: pirate
Earlier this week we reported that just two weeks after LimeWire was permanently shut down by a federal ruling, a “secret dev team” had brought the P2P client back, dubbing it the LimeWire Pirate Edition (LPE).
The LPE has the Ask.com toolbar removed, all need for the LimeWire LLC servers removed, all remote settings disabled, and all LimeWire Pro features activated, for free. There is also no adware or spyware.
LPE has been circulating via warez, P2P and torrents sites for a couple of days now.
Apparently, the real LimeWire is not a fan.
“We have very recently become aware of unauthorized applications on the Internet purporting to use the LimeWire name,” reads a notice on the LimeWire site.
“We demand that all persons using the LimeWire software, name, or trademark in order to upload or download copyrighted works in any manner cease and desist from doing so. We further remind you that the unauthorized uploading and downloading of copyrighted works is illegal.”
