LimeWire No More?

The company behind file-sharing client LimeWire has been served.

The makers of the peer-to-peer program has been ordered to shut down pivotal features of their Limewire software after an injunction by a US district court that went into effect Monday (October 25th, 2010).

This ends an ongoing four-year feud between The LimeWire Group and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The ruling, issued by officials at the U.S. District Court in New York, have required LimeWire to "stop distributing and supporting its file-sharing software", adding that "downloading or sharing copyrighted content without authorization is illegal".

The company has been forced to disable all searching, downloading, uploading, and file-trading functions of their LimeWire service.

The people behind LimeWire have released a statement regarding plans on working on a new music service that promises to put the user "back at the centre" of the digital music experience:

"During this challenging time, we are excited about the future. The injunction applies only to the LimeWire product. Our company remains open for business. We remain deeply committed to working with the music industry and making the act of loving music more fulfilling for everyone - including artists, songwriters, publishers, labels, and of course music fans.

"Our team of technologists and music enthusiasts is creating a completely new music service that puts you back at the center of your digital music experience."

Well, there goes downloading "__INSERT ARTIST HERE__"'s album. Hey buddy, don't act like you don't do it.