I2hub
 |
|
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Massachusetts |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) | Wayne Chang |
| Industry | Internet, Computer software |
| Products | i2hub.com, Jungalu.com, ConnectU.com, StallScribbles.com, Digital Flyers, ConnectHi (theyearbook.org), ConnectGroups, The Winklevoss Chang Group Representative Program, The Rep Center, Social Butterfly |
| Website | i2hub.com |
| Alexa rank |
 13,065,594 (April 2014[update]) |
| Launched | March 2004 |
| Current status | Inactive |
i2hub was a peer-to-peer file sharing service and program designed and intended primarily for use by university and college students. The program was created by Wayne Chang, a student at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Wayne Chang had previously worked at the original Napster while attending high school in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
i2hub used Internet2, which was a special network that connected universities around the world. It allows for data transfer rates much faster than typical Internet connections. Because of this, download speeds through i2hub were usually much faster than through other peer-to-peer networks.
The service was launched in March 2004 and ultimately expanded to over 400 universities and colleges both in the United States and abroad. It gained both users and publicity due to its speed and ease of use.
Facebook launched in February 2004, a month before i2hub and both gained attention from the press. In August 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, Adam D'Angelo, and Sean Parker of Facebook launched a competing peer-to-peer file sharing service called Wirehog. Traction was low compared to i2hub, and Facebook ultimately shut it down.
As its user-base expanded, it attracted the attention of ConnectU. A partnership allegedly formed between i2hub and ConnectU. The partnership, called The Winklevoss Chang Group, jointly advertised their properties through bus advertisements as well as press releases. i2hub integrated its popular software with ConnectU's website, as part of the partnership. The team also jointly launched several projects and initiatives, including:
The network was criticized by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for its ability to share copyrighted materials through a faster medium. On October 5, 2004, Cary Sherman, the president of the RIAA, talked about i2hub in a statement to the United States House of Representatives. On April 12, 2005, the RIAA announced it was suing 405 i2hub users, students at 18 colleges and universities, for copyright infringement. On September 22, 2005, the United States House of Representatives had another hearing to discuss i2hub. On November 14, 2005, i2hub was shut down with the message "RIP 11/14/2005. It was a good run. Forced to shut down by the industry."
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Wikipedia