LimeWire used to be one of the internet’s favourite peer-to-peer file sharing sites and allowed users to share music, games, and other content for free. It might now be making a surprise return as an NFT marketplace.
It was initially forced to shut down in 2010 after being found guilty of copyright infringement after a dispute with the Recording Industry Association of America. Similar sites such as Napster and BitTorrent also followed suit.
Now, the intellectual property and assets of LimeWire have been purchased by Australian brothers Julian and Paul Zehetmayr.
The new LimeWire will stick to the platform’s musical roots, with plans to allow users to buy items such as limited-edition tracks and unreleased demos. It aims to help those who are not potentially the most knowledgeable when it comes to tech to still enter the NFT marketplace.
New owner Julian Zehetmayr said: “The issue with the NFT market is that most platforms are decentralised.
“If you look at Bitcoin, all the exchanges are making it really easy to buy, trade and sell Bitcoin. There’s no one really doing the same in the NFT space.”
To help raise additional capital for the site, the brothers intend to release a LimeWire token for interested parties to invest in. These tokens will allow investors to vote on policy changes at the site, plus other decisions such as which artists can be featured at the site.
