On January 10th 2008, lawyers representing the 'Discordia Ltd.' shell company filed for "SHAREAZA" trademark registration at the United States Patent Office.

As of March 3rd 2008, the trademark has not yet been granted - and still must urgently be contested.

The core Shareaza Development Team has been aware of this from the beginning, but has not gone public with the information while seeking legal counsel. It is in this context that team members have been scurrilously threatened and the shareaza.com destination has flagrantly broken yet more laws. The followingt two posts were available early to developers and moderators, and are now being made widely available to the community. It is understood that opposing lawyers will be reading this material: 'I Am Not A Lawyer' -this does not constitute legal advice.

YOU CAN HELP by donating to the Legal Defense Fund." (ChipIn: Shareaza)

No Shareaza developer or enthusiast has ever received money as a result. However, several volunteers now out-of-pocket for hundreds of dollars are facing the prospect of thousands. Shareaza has always been and will always remain free, non-commercialized software -regardless of the high value of its use that must be protected. Donations will now begin to be accepted for the sole purpose of partially compensating these unfortunate expenses. (Including a possible $900 at very short notice.) A ChipIn account has been established for PayPal (account/credit card) payments large or small. Please consider sending at least the loose change in your account to show your appreciation for enthusiasts who could scarcely afford these costs themselves. Feel free to offer in other ways as well.

Read more at "Urgent: Opposing the Shareaza Trademark"

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