The downloading of all types of multimedia content through the Internet has been with us for decades, and the controversy has always been there. Surely those of you who are more veterans still remember certain applications that were used for this type of tasks. One of the most representative examples was the popular Kaaza.
Here we find a platform that we used to share all types of files using P2P networks, we are talking about KaZaa Media Desktop, or KaZaa. It must be taken into account that this is a program that had enormous success a couple of decades ago, back at the beginning of the century.
The Internet was beginning to spread among all types of users and this is a program that became one of the great references now for sharing files. In fact, we could say that it was a program installed on most computers at the time. Its main objective was to provide us with all the necessary tools to be able to exchange all types of files.
As you can imagine, most users used this software solution to upload and download mainly music and video files. Of course, we could also find other file formats such as documents or even programs. But as is usual in this type of applications, in this case the controversy was also served. Furthermore, despite having a couple of years of enormous success, this proposal was surpassed by other alternatives in a short time.
The beginnings and successes of Kaaza
We came across a file sharing software that used the FastTrack protocol. It gained enormous fame when it came to sharing files in MP3 format for music and DivX for videos. The application and the protocol itself were created by a Swede named Niklas Zennstrom and the Dane Janus Friis. It is worth mentioning that both elements saw the light of day in 2001.
Once the application began to gain success, the company behind the Sharman project decided that it wanted to monetize it. At that time it began to offer other companies advertising banners and golden icons. From that moment on, companies of all kinds began to show their ads, including Microsoft.
But after the controversies initially generated, those responsible tried to legalize the application in 2003 through a contract with Altnet and Streamwaves. Thus, the gold icons showed the first 30 seconds of a song and then opened the Streamwaves website.
P2P Application Decline
It is worth mentioning that one of the secrets to the success of this platform was its simplicity of use compared to other similar alternatives. Thanks to its interface and menu layout, sharing all types of files here was easier than ever. But greed, as they say, broke the bank. And largely due to the enormous success of the program, its developers decided to make the project profitable through its installer.
They began to release versions full of malicious spyware and adware type code, something that of course the community did not like at all. Due to this controversial move, third-party developers began releasing unofficial versions of Kaaza without these undesirable additions. This is how solutions like Kazaa Lite Resurrection or Kazaa Lite K++ appeared.
This led to many users changing their minds and switching to other similar solutions such as eMule, Ares Galaxy or BitTorrent. At the same time, the problems and all kinds of complaints did not stop growing, which in the end led to a tragic end for the program itself.
The great controversy of the program and its end
A clear example of all this happened when in 2006, several production companies such as Universal Music, Sony BMG, or Warner Music, among others, agreed to pay almost one hundred million dollars in copyright losses. All with the aim of turning Kazaa into a legal service.
From there, the platform began to change hands, while the popularity of Sharman Networks and its partners sank. In the end, the firm Atrinsic, Inc. bought the Kazaa brand to relaunch it as a legal web-focused subscription service, eliminating the application, but without success. Finally, in 2013 the Kazaa website was permanently deactivated.
