Harnessing the power of the donkeys...

USA Today has an interesting article about the eDonkey file sharing program. It talks about how the INDUCE act, which tries to make P2P companies criminally liable for materials on their network and for abetting copyright violations, would affect it. Unlike Kazzaa, eDonkey is headquartered in the U.S., so it's basically screwed if INDUCE passes.

The article doesn't mention that there is a very popular open-source version of eDonkey called eMule. Unlike eDonkey, eMule is open-source, so there's no company to sue, and it's way harder to go after than a company like eDonkey.

I don't generally agree that open-source is inherently better than closed-source programing, but there are some things, like p2p, where the lack of central control or profit gives an advantage. Even if they kill the Donkey, I doubt they will kill the mule.