In 2004, when LimeWire was the file sharing client of choice for millions of users, FrostWire emerged as the new kid on the block.
The app started out as a fork of LimeWire, but went through several changes over the years. In 2016, he added torrent support and, five years later, completely dropped his Gnutella base in favor of BitTorrent.
Today, frosted wire is a well-established torrent client that is available on the most popular platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. While it's not the most widely used torrent client, it has built an impressive user base of 10 million installs and nearly a quarter of a million reviews on the Google Play Store alone.
The application is content neutral and nothing is stored on the client. However, that doesn't mean it's immune to complaints from rights holders. They are relatively rare, but when they arrive they can cause a lot of damage, as recently illustrated.
Play Store ends FrostWire
In late November last year, Google informed the FrostWire team that their app had been suspended from Google Play due to alleged copyright infringement. While the software does not host or feature infringing content, the Indian music industry (IMI) came to a different conclusion.
IMI represents the interests of local music companies and record labels, including household names such as Universal Music India, Warner Music Group and Sony Music India. According to the takedown notice, FrostWire infringed the rights to the song "Genda Phool," released by Indian rapper Badshah.
The YouTube clip of the song went viral across the world, which was good news for the artists and the label Sony Music India. Naturally, this meant that some people were trying to hack it, causing IMI to send takedown notices.
IMI's actions make sense insofar as they apply to sites that host or link to pirated copies of the song. However, FrostWire sees itself as a content-neutral application, more akin to a web browser.
Counter-notice
After Google suspended the app on November 27, FrostWire developer Angel Leon quickly submitted a reinstatement request along the following lines:
โIt is important to clarify that our application works as a BitTorrent client, providing a platform for users to share and download legal content.
We unequivocally condemn copyright infringement. Our platform is designed to respect and defend the rights of content creators while promoting open and legal digital sharing. โWe believe the recent copyright claim against our app is due to a misunderstanding of its purpose and functionality.โ
If developers file a counter-notification, rights holders have 10 days to respond with a formal legal complaint. In case it doesn't arrive, in theory the application should be restored. According to the FrostWire developer, that didn't happen here.
โThen we didn't hear from anyone until December 28, when the application changed status from 'Suspended' to 'Deleted', and we had to go through a reinstallation process that was absolutely delayed,โ Leรณn says.
Google flagged several issues that were not related to copyright infringement but required multiple code updates. This included changes to older installers that no longer affected newer versions.
Reinstalled after more than a month
After shipping several new updates, Google finally gave the green light to add the app. return to play store.
The question remains whether the IMI takedown notice was really a misunderstanding or if the music group has a real problem with the software. We reached out to the group for comment and more context, but have yet to hear back.
For now, FrostWire is happy to move on and has just released an update celebrating its rise from the ashes.
โThis update is particularly special as it comes just after the reinstatement of FrostWire on the Google Play Store. It's not just an update; โIt is a celebration of persistence, innovation and community spirit.โ
Troubled past, uncertain future
Interestingly, this is not the first time FrostWire has been launched from the Play Store. A similar incident occurred several years ago. At the time, Google initially refused to reinstate the app, which was a huge setback.
Most FrostWire users use Android and in a dramatic move, the torrent client decided stop doing this. The decision was eventually reversed after Google changed course and reinstated the app.
This time, FrostWire didn't make any drastic decisions, but the removal still had a significant impact on its operation.
While everything is fine for now, there is no certainty that the app will remain secure. Another rights holder could come and ask for it to be removed, which would start the same process again.
Ideally, FrostWire would like to see repercussions for inaccurate removals, since every time this happens, the app loses some users.
โBoth times this happened, we lost a large part of our active user base, subscribers and revenue and, as you can imagine, it can happen again. Just one accusation from anyone is enough and there are no repercussions for doing so,โ Leรณn tells us.
While this is a bleak outlook, FrostWire seems to have a fighting spirit these days. In a recent blog post, he compares himself to an "Ice Phoenix."
โAs we celebrate this rebirth, imagine an 'Ice Phoenix' rising majestically from a frozen terrain. This mythical creature, with its crystalline feathers and brilliant aura, rises among swirls of snowflakes.
โThis Ice Phoenix is โโnot just a fantasy; he embodies the spirit of FrostWire: always resilient and constantly evolving.โ
