MUMBAI: LimeWire, the makers of file sharing software, have been found liable for infringing the music copyrights of 13 major record companies, in a judgement by a US Court.

The lawsuit was filed in August 2006 by Arista, Atlantic, BMG Music, Capital, Elektra, Interscope, LaFace, Motown, Priority, Sony BMG, UMG, Virgin and Warner Brothers. According to the ruling, LimeWire and its founder Mark Gorton were liable for infringement and engaging in unfair competition with the record labels.

The ruling is touted as a huge victory for the content industry in its ongoing battle over web piracy. The judge dismissed LimeWire's contention that these stats weren't reliable and accepted evidence that the service was not only aware of the copyright abuse but actively tried to attract infringing users.

In its defence, LimeWire chief executive George Searle said that the company "strongly opposes" the ruling and is committed to working with the recording industry to develop products that help music listeners.

The Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group for the major U.S. labels, predictably reacted happily to the news.

The court has set 1 June as the date for further proceedings in the case.