BearShare

BearShare is a popular Gnutella client software package from a company called Free Peers, Inc.; the software allows its users to share files directly from person to person. BearShare runs under Microsoft Windows and is sold as shareware. Free Peers has been successful marketing BearShare so far despite the fact that free alternatives such as Gnucleus and Shareaza are also available.

Free Peers, Inc. is being sued by the RIAA for copyright infringment under the claim that BearShare is a Napster clone.

Vincent Falco, leading developer of BearShare and owner of Free Peers, Inc. has gained a bad reputation for starting several flame wars in the GDF and for adding a security feature to his client that would ban all non-BearShare servents on activation. Although many other members of the GDF felt that it contradicted the "spirit of Gnutella", Vinnie Falco is still a very valuable member of the GDF for all the useful ideas he and his team added to the Gnutella protocol.