Router.limewire.com is only a starting point for joining the network. It holds no file information - just a list of clients that you can start with.

There are many other lists of clients apart from limewire - and the LimeWire software will look for clients it has met before without the need to go to Limewire.

By contrast - Napsters servers actually held lists of the software being distrubuted.

LimeWire are doing work to improve the gnutella network overall - but this is by agreeing standards and optimising the software. On a day to day basis it is only the clients on the network that define the nature of the network.

Without someone like LimeWire pushing to improve the gnutella network, then it won't get significantly better over time - but neither should it get worse.

Losing LimeWire as a developer would be a tragedy - but it wouldn't actually damage the gnutella network in any significant way.

But I can see no legal justification for shutting LimeWire down under American Law (there nearly wasn't any justification for shutting Napster down - Even holding lists of software is not actually illegal - but then - a constitution is just a piece of paper).

Mark