Owner of Kazaa Network Forms Trade Group for File-Sharing

The owner of the popular Kazaa file-sharing network is announcing a bid for legitimacy with a new trade group aimed at challenging the perception that file sharing is nothing more than a tool for digital piracy. Bankrolled by Kazaa's U.S. partners and its corporate parent -- Australia-based Sharman Networks Ltd. -- the Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA) plans to lobby against congressional attempts to shut down file-sharing sites, said DCIA chief executive Marty Lafferty.