-
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.
-
The Recording Industry Association of America sues Napster in San Francisco federal court alleging copyright infringement.
-
Limewire, a P2P sharing site much like Napster, is initially released.
-
A federal judge in San Francisco orders Napster shut down, but the injunction is stayed two days later.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 loses lawsuit by RIAA in New York District Federal Court. Completely shut down by December 31, 2010.
-
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).
-
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.
-
In response to the blackout, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill.
