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MP3 Format Founded
File sharing really took off in the 1990s, when the MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) format made it possible for music files to be compressed to a tenth, or less, of their original size, while retaining sound quality close to that of the original source. -
Napster Gets Sued by RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America sues Napster in San Francisco federal court alleging copyright infringement. -
Limewire Is Founded
Limewire, a P2P sharing site much like Napster, is initially released. -
Napster Gets Shut Down
A federal judge in San Francisco orders Napster shut down, but the injunction is stayed two days later. -
Students Get Sued
The recording industry sues four university students in federal court, accusing them of making thousands of songs available online for illegal downloading over Napster-like networks. -
Messages Were Sent
The RIAA begins sending millions of messages to Kazaa and Grokster users, informing them that distributing or downloading copyright music on peer-to-peer networks is illegal. -
Students Get Punished
Recording industry settles lawsuit against the four college students it accused of mass music file sharing. While admitting no wrongdoing, the students agree to pay damages of between $12,000 and $17,500 each. -
Limewire Gets Sued
Limewire loses lawsuit by RIAA in New York District Federal Court. Completely shut down by December 31, 2010. -
PIPA is Proposed
Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a proposed law that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). -
Internet Blackout to stop PIPA and SOPA
The English Wikipedia, Reddit, and an estimated 7,000 other smaller websites coordinated a service blackout, to raise awareness. In excess of 160 million people viewed Wikipedia's banner. Other protests against SOPA and PIPA included petition drives, with Google stating it collected over 7 million signatures, boycotts of companies that support the legislation, and a rally held in New York City. -
PIPA is Stopped
In response to the blackout, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill.
