Timeline of File Sharing - 1990s

1990s

In this decade, the very basic ideas involved with file sharing were experimented with. Most of the protocols (like BitTorrent) that were involved in file sharing were not heavily used in this decade. Data compression technologies for audio and video (like MP3, AAC and MPEG1) were only usable by the general public towards the end of the 1990s – and sharing digital video was still a dream. Most of the world's telecommunications infrastructure did not have fibre optic cable readily available until the late 1990s.

• November 1990 – The World Wide Web is formally proposed by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau.
• December 1991 – MP3 is finalized as an ISO/IEC standard.
• 1992 – Software Publishers Association runs an anti-copyright infringement campaign Don't Copy That Floppy
• 1997 – Scour Inc. is founded by five UCLA Computer Science students. Early products provide file search and download using the SMB protocol, as well as a multimedia web search engine released in 1998. Scour attracted early attention and support from media industry insiders before declaring bankruptcy in October 2000.
• April 1997 – Winamp audio player is released, leading to increased use of MP3 files.
• August 1997 – Hotline is announced at MacWorld, and allows chat, forums, and file transfers. It becomes popular among Mac users.
• November 1997 – MP3.com is founded by Michael Robertson and Greg Flores. Initially an FTP search engine, MP3.com becomes a hosting service for unsigned artists. It serves 4 million audio file downloads per day at its peak and becomes the largest technology IPO in July 1999. The release of My.MP3.com in January 2000, which allowed users to stream their own files, would prompt litigation. In May 2000, UMG v. MP3.com, would be ruled in favor of the record labels. MP3.com would settle for $200 million and discontinue the service.
• March 1998 – The MPMan F10, the first MP3 player, is launched.
• September 1998 – Rio PMP300 MP3 player is shipped by Diamond Multimedia. Its popularity leads the RIAA to file a temporary restraining order in October, without success.
• October 1998 – Digital Millennium Copyright Act is unanimously passed by the US Senate. The DMCA would become the basis for numerous legal actions against file sharing services.
• November 1998 – Audiogalaxy is created by Michael Merhej. Initially an FTP search engine, the Audiogalaxy Satellite P2P client would reach 1 million downloads in 2001. In May 2002, a suit by the RIAA would force Audiogalaxy to block sharing of illegal songs. In June 2002, Audiogalaxy would settle the suit for an undisclosed amount and make its services opt-in. In September 2002, Audiogalaxy would discontinue P2P services in favor of Rhapsody, a for-pay streaming service.
• December 1998 – MP3 Newswire, the first digital media news site, is launched.
• June 1999 – Napster is created by Shawn Fanning. Napster used a centralized structure where indexing and searching is performed on Napster servers. Individual files, however, remain on the hosts' computers and are transferred directly from peer to peer. In December 1999, the first lawsuits would be filed against Napster. Usage would peak in February 2001, with 26.4 million users. In July 2001, Napster would shut down its network to comply with an injunction.
• November 1999 - The Direct Connect network is created.