On the heels of a discussion with members of the recording industry that addressed more workable ways of reimbursing artists for infringed content, P2P United, which represents Grokster, StreamCast Networks, Morpheus, BearShare, Lime Wire, eDonkey, and Blubster, developed a code of conduct for P2P networks that promises to limit underage access to file-swapping services and take a more responsible role in putting a stop to the unregulated sharing of copyrighted material.
Representatives for popular P2P network Kazaa were not present in P2P United's discussions, reports said.
In recent months members of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have made a point to cast a negative light on P2P networks as incubators for child pornography, identity theft, and illegal activity.
Claiming for months now that P2P file sharing networks have depleted RIAA and MPAA industry coffers, a recent study said that households acquiring music files online illegally reached a high of 14.5 million in April of 2003. However, that number has since started shrinking to 12.7 million households in May, followed by another drop to 10.4 million households in June, perhaps due to the RIAA's agressive campaign to track down and sue file swappers.
Many P2P users see the RIAA's tactics as self-fulfilling propaganda for an industry that refuses to change with the demands of the Internet consumer.
"This is not anything even remotely nefarious, but rather an established business that is seeking to become more established," P2P United Executive Director Adam Eisgrau said at a press conference today.
Among the code of conduct presented by P2P United, the coalition pledged an allegiance to law enforcement and task force initiatives to eliminate child pornography from America's favorite online exchange networks, and to instill to the best of their abilities a more responsible code of conduct among sharers of pornography, music, films, and extraneous data.
That pledge would also entail the cessation of secretly installing spyware on other file-sharers hard drives, the group said. Spyware is typically planted on a user's hard drive with the intent to track other file-sharers online behavior.
The coalition also demanded of Congress to resolve differences between Internet file-sharers and the record and film industries, and to develop a more workable way for record companies, movie studios, and other copyright holders to be reimbursed for freely traded content.
The founding members of P2P said that their next software updates, which are due out in a few weeks, will comply with the new code of conduct set in motion today.
