Posted by FatKat on 07/28/06 20:25

Technobarbarian wrote:
> "FatKat" <robynari@juno.com> wrote in message
> news:1154049219.887477.93340@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
> >
> > Zapanaz wrote:
> >> On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 00:29:29 GMT, Modemac <modemac@modemac.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> >http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5220406.stm
> >>
> >> "We move forward with a spring in our step."
> >>
> >> jesus.
> >>
> >>From the media reports I've seen, the settlement will cost Sharman $100
> > million. How does a publisher of a porgram that costs nothing get $100
> > million?
>
> Are you reallllllly that slow?

There's a difference between thinking fast and (in your case) just
being swift.

>
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/04/24/BU104303.DTL&type=business
>
> Wednesday, April 24, 2002
>
> "Australian businesswoman Nikki Hemming stepped into the spotlight for the
> first time yesterday, to reveal her vision for making KaZaa, her
> controversial online file-sharing service, a successful, and legal,
> business.
>
> "I've got the most powerful brand on the market right now," Hemming said
> during a global teleconference with reporters, her first public comments
> since the former Virgin Interactive executive's startup, Sharman Networks,
> bought KaZaa from its Dutch creators.
>
> Hemming said 65 million copies of the KaZaa Media Desktop program have been
> downloaded, allowing anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to
> swap free digital copies of music, movies and software. KaZaa has become the
> leading alternative to Napster."
> [snip]
> "Hemming said KaZaa is already turning a profit from revenue derived from
> advertising and from software bundled with the program. She said Sharman has
> struck a deal with the New York Internet advertising agency DoubleClick Inc.
> to sell more ads.
>
> Sharman Networks is registered in the South Pacific island nation of
> Vanuatu, which does not have corporate, personal income or corporate gains
> taxes. Its headquarters is in Sydney.
>
> Hemming also defended a controversial deal to bundle software that critics
> say would surreptitiously hijack KaZaa users' computers into a new
> commercial peer-to-peer network. She said KaZaa users will have a choice
> whether to participate in the new Altnet network."
>
> This was over 4 years ago and they've been banking money all along. I'm
> sure Sharman Networks is crying all the way to the bank. Did you think they
> bought Kazaa as some sort of strange hobby?
>

Somehow, I don't see how a free program bundled with spyware has
generated all that much revenue, and I doubt user's habits have been
all that loyal in four years. I was a Kazaa user back then, but junked
it for WinMX, Shareazza, DC++ and now eMule. I sometimes shift between
WinMX, eMule and (infrequently now) Shareazza, but have never gone back
to Kazaa. Kazaa was often the app I heard people talk about when
warning about spyware-laden peer-share apps. As for ad revenue, there
are bigger companies out there sruggling to get internet ad-money, I
don't see how Sharman has managed to amass $100 mill, let alone what
they'd need to stay in business now that they're in the hole for that
much.

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