With more and more P2P companies going legit and reducing the chances of record-label-versus-P2P lawsuits, the file sharing companies are having to resort to suing each other to keep their lawyers in work. So, Brilliant Digital Entertainment and Altnet, both of whom are affiliates of P2P network Kazaa, have announced they are suing StreamCast Networks, the makers of rival P2P system Morpheus, over allegations they have infringed their patents relating to P2P technology.
Brilliant and Altnet say StreamCast have violated their so called 'TrueNames' patents within the Morpheus system. A spokesman for the claimants, Michael Speck, told reporters this week: "StreamCast has been given ample opportunity by all to mend their ways. Their determination to continue distributing infringing material has left us with no choice but to prosecute them."
As previously reported, the Kazaa related companies recently reached a settlement with the record labels after years of fighting copyright infringement lawsuits. StreamCast, who are yet to comment on the new lawsuit, are still awaiting a court ruling on past litigation pursued against them by the record labels.