[veronicalinh]

I'd like to gather more information on how LimeWire operates.

I tried to install their software yesterday to perform some tests, but did not see them switching affiliate IDs the same way BuyersPort/Morpheus did. Are they operating in a more covert manner?

Please provide me with insight -- it's our goal to clean our Affiliate Program of any unethical and parasitic affiliates.

Thanks,
Veronica

[sjangro]

Hi Veronica,

We've been talking to Limewire for the past couple of months now. They've had code in their product to handle clicks from affiliate links properly so as to not overwrite them.

They've also recently added code to handle the afsrc parameter described in the standard that Be Free published in early September: http://www.befree.com/proposal.htm

Now their software is fully compliant with that standard.

Their software will automatically update with the recent changes.

Best,
--scott

--
Scott Jangro
sjangro@befree.com

[happypoon]

I do not believe we need this post in this forum. Limewire has in the past overwritten id's and to see their name in here as appearing to be a merchant against parasites seems.... "less than desirable". Moderator please consider this.

[elbowcreek]

In a feeling of goodwill and by way of making a gesture to affiliates, these parasites that accidently overwrote affiliate ids wouldn't mind overwriting thier own id with all of our ids for the next six months or so.

I think that would be fair.

Somewhere, I am sure, the Gods of War are laughing.

[ecomcity]

From the NY Times article:

"Some companies that make and use the diversion software said they were rewriting the programs so that they would no longer take money intended for others. But these changes may not affect copies of the software already installed on millions of computers. "We're not interested in stealing any Web site's revenue," said Greg Bildson, chief operating officer for LimeWire. "We know that this is sort of a new and sort of strange area, but we're interested in doing the right thing." He referred calls to TopMoxie, the maker of the software that LimeWire uses to get affiliate money.

Patrick Toland, a vice president for sales and marketing at TopMoxie, said that the company did not intend for its software to displace other affiliates' rights and that his company had altered the software in the last two weeks to stop substituting its affiliate identification code for those of other sites. "The second we realized this is a problem, we turned that boat around and said, `Let's get this out,' " he said. He added that the amount of money involved was minuscule.

Mr. Toland attributed the losses that the Web sites claimed to a tougher marketplace for small players.

Morpheus referred inquiries to Wurld Media, which operates its shopping rebates program. Kirk H. Feathers, the chief technical officer of Wurld Media, said that it had been wrongly accused of stealing and that the company would readily go to court to defend itself.

He acknowledged that an earlier version of the company's software did divert commissions away from other affiliate sites but said that new versions dealt with that situation. Now, the company said, the softwareoffers a choice to the consumer before each purchase: whether to give the commission to the affiliate or to himself in the form of a rebate, with a portion of the rebate going to Morpheus. The software does not misrepresent the user's computer to sellers' sites, Mr. Feathers said.

Arguments that the diversions are somehow the fault of an unintentional flaw do not persuade Erik Petersen, the chief technical officer at an Internet security company, Polar Cove, in Providence, R.I. Mr. Petersen said that he had received complaints about TopMoxie and LimeWire from friends and took a closer look. After conducting a detailed analysis of the software, he concluded that the TopMoxie program was intricately designed to substitute its affiliate identification code for that of other sites as transactions were made. He said that the program remained on the computer even if the user removed the original LimeWire music sharing software. "I don't buy their explanation," he said. "What kind of accident is that?"

Mr. Petersen also pointed to a statement made in an online forum where the technology was discussed, in which a LimeWire developer characterized accusations that the software diverts money as "pretty accurate," but said, "While I agree that this is really a bit of a scam, it is a way for us to pay salaries while not adversely affecting our users."

A chief executive of one software company was similarly unapologetic about the diversion of commissions. "We look at affiliates as competitors," said Avi Naider, the chief executive of WhenU.com, which makes the diversion software used by the music swapping services Kazaa and BearShare. The software, he said, provides services to users and money to each company "so it doesn't have to charge" for the currently free software and services."

___________________________

Bunch of bunk on LimeWires mouthpiece claiming the ID# swapping thievery was "Miniscule" with 30 million of it's users having the swapping program in place til the end of Sept 2002.
___________________________

NY Times .."Although estimates are hard to come by, those in the business say that the amount of money involved could be large. The affiliate market, in which smaller sites funnel sales to larger ones in return for commissions, accounts for roughly 15 to 20 percent of the estimated $72 billion online market, said Carrie Johnson, an analyst with Forrester Research. A successful affiliate Web site can make $60,000 a month from referrals alone, said Haiko De Poel Jr., chief executive of Abestweb, an online forum devoted to affiliate marketing. He has organized owners of sites to fight Morpheus and others."

PLEASE BeFree be accurate and post the entire timeframe LimeWire and the others cherry picking your merchants have gone unmuzzled. ShopNow/Whenu.com did it since last year at this time.

WebMaster Mike

[happypoon]

I'll repeat my plea. This topic started as a question concerning a non merchant and someone who has at one point was a known parasite itself and is likely still is a threat. May we get it moved please. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Nancy L]

Lime wire is still redirecting i just downloaded it why is that? I thought they fixed it.