Limewire is making a comeback, this time as an NFT
Earlier this year, the former music file sharing / piracy platform Napster was revived, once again, this time as a blockchain product.
Napster was acquired by Hivemind and Algorand, the former of which was described by The Verge as “a crypto-focused investment company dedicated to blockchain technologies, crypto companies and the digital asset ecosystem.”
“We are pleased to share that we have taken Napster Group private and to bring the iconic music brand to web3,” Hivemind founder Matt Zhang announced on LinkedIn in May. «Volatile market and uncertain times often provide exciting opportunities. At Hivemind, we believe in developing a dissertation and building lasting value. Music x Web3 is one of the most exciting places we have been, and we are excited to work with Emmy Lovell and many talents to unlock value for the entire ecosystem and revolutionize how artists and fans enjoy music. “
Now another well-known name from the heyday comes with illegal music downloads, also on the blockchain.
Limewire, a popular file-sharing network that emerged in the early 2000s, a few years after Napster’s reign, has also been revived as, according to the website, “a limited collection of 10,000 original NFTs embedded on the Ethereum blockchain, with 10,000 unique and rare avatars with a variety of features and characteristics. ”
It is also a sixty-second commercial for the product.
“Owning a LimeWire Original represents the highest level of membership the LimeWire community has to offer. If you own one, you not only own a digital avatar, you get access to a range of benefits and experiences exclusive to LimeWire Original holders. This includes regular physical events around the world that are invited only, with performances by artists on LimeWire, early access to high-profile NFT collections that fall on the market, access to limited item collections, as well as rewards of our LMWR token to LimeWire Original holders when the token is launched in the fourth quarter of this year. “
According to The Daily Dot, there has been some ridicule against the idea of Limewire’s return, especially in this format.
According to TorrentFreak, the founder of the original LimeWire was not told in advance about the new launch and is not happy with it.
Mark Gorton told the website that “I was not contacted about this NFT project and I did not hear about it until the public announcement.” That story added that the original trademarks have expired.
“I’m not thrilled about an unrelated group of people using the LimeWire name. Using the LimeWire name in this way creates confusion and incorrectly uses the brand we created for purposes it was never intended for,” Gorton told TorrentFreak.
Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Deed Today . The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in the suburb of Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
Image: Reuters.
