How much legal is it to use your create your own P2P Application. Make it connect to the Gnutella Network. And, then feature ads, and make money out of it?

I'm not a lawyer but I would say it is totally legal.
No one said that P2P software is meant to share copyrighted materials. Its like a knife: You can kill someone with it or cut your vegetables with it.

If you publish it under the GPL you dont take any responsibility for damage caused by your program.

I am curious about Gnutella Networks. They will spend hundred thousands of dollars on maintaining their servers, while their clients connect to their networks free of cost, and make money. I mean, how can one be a Gnutella client. It can't be free, for sure. They (Gnutella) will want something in exchange.

I see you are a victim of capitalism.
Gnutella is free, no one owns it. We own it!
Gnutella is opensource, if you have read the specifications
you can start coding your own client.

No one owns it.
If you want to know more about Gnutella P2P
check out my article:
http://www.planet-source-code.com/vb...=7565&lngWId=4

If you write GPL software you are most likely broke, don't own anything and therefore don't have to worry about law suits for damage anyway.
GPL doesn't protect you from law suits. If you make $$ from your program you are a bigger target because you have something to go after.There are no central servers! Everyone on the network gives a little bandwidth, and gets a little bandwith, so it evens out mostly.
It's file "sharing" at its best.
There are a few greedy people who try to profit off of the "free" bandwidth, they write P2P programs and display ads on people's screens while they "share" files. Bad karma will catch up with them.

Or maybe they're trying to profit off writing the P2P programs.. not such a bad idea really.

The idea of Gnutella is mainly to be free and independent.
Most developers dont program for cash:
They are doing it because they like Gnutella.
(OK, lets forget about few client devs)

Thanks for your advice.

What if I can program a P2P Application. I can just make it connect to Gnutella, add some ads, and $$$ will come my way! Is it really that easy?

Or, how can I be a Gnutella Client?

Hehe.

a) If you think U can write a client that easy... and b) also thousands of users think your ad-supported client is better than the free available competitors, then yes you can make some $$$ (or a lot when adding spyware?). Ask Bearshare and Limewire if they make good bucks? I wonder if they get rich?

I was just giving an example

Again I am giving an example:

Suppose, I can write a client. Then what do I need to do, in order to get listed officially as a Gnutella client?