To remove content under copyright, the owners first must identify their copyrighted material and then submit a filtering request to LimeWire for inclusion on a public list. LimeWire then consults this list and stops users from downloading the protected media by removing it from the sharing process.
Prior to its beta test of content filtering, LimeWire operated a “Family Filter,” meant to block out adult content. However, many files can be purposely mislabeled to avoid being blocked.
Exploit System’s CEO Scott Hunter developed software that helps content providers put legitimate versions of its media that’s being pirated onto file sharing networks, by somehow virtually overwhelming the bogus copies.
Hunter’s software also reacts to keyword searches in LimeWire so the user is more likely to find the lawful copy. When users try to download the genuine content, they get taken to the adult company’s homepage and pay for it, or register on the site.
“If 15 percent of the roughly 150 million people on these networks are willing to pay for the content, that’s 20 million customers,” Hunter told Wired News. “It’s foolish of any business to deny themselves the opportunity to make that sale.”
LimeWire is an open source file sharing service, written in Java and runs on the Gnutella network. It rose to prominence among peer-to-peer sharing programs, boasting no spyware or adware. LimeWire participants are part of an open community that is grouped by characteristics of similar users such as interests, connection speed and bandwidth to optimize search performance.
CBS News said in an investigation the search term “porn” ranks second on the Gnutella network.