Kazaa to make a legal comeback

Kazaa is the latest file sharing service to make a comeback in a legal form.

Online file sharing network Kazaa is to be re-launched as a legal music service, following in the footsteps of Napster.

Kazaa was shut down by the music industry in 2006 in a multi-million dollar lawsuit in the United States.

Now the service will make a comeback, but users will be expected to pay for downloads so that Kazaa can pay royalties to copyright holders.

Napster, which is seen as the original file sharing network, was shut down in 2001 but now operates as a legitimate model.

Since then, a number of legal download services have been launched to meet consumer demand for digital entertainment and tackle online piracy.

Like Napster, the new Kazaa will have a fixed monthly subscription rate, in return for which users will be offered unlimited downloads.

It is set to launch in the United States next week and is expected to cost around $20 (£12) a month. Songs will be offered in the Windows Media format.

Earlier this month, the new owners of the Pirate Bay website confirmed that the Swedish file sharing network would operate as a legal service.

Global Gaming Factory confirmed that users would have to pay to download music, movies and video games from the site.

However, under a new cloud model, monthly fees would be reduced depending on how much storage capacity they contribute to the network.

The company said this approach would remove some of the web traffic pressures on internet service providers, as well as helping to tackle the intellectual property issue.