A site not long for this world

Check out Woonz, which bills itself as "the audio search engine." Enter a song title or artist, and it provides you a list of matching MP3 files (and, I believe, other audio files) on the Net.

You’re presented with a list of files. For example, I got this when I searched on "Hootie":

(Click to enlarge.)

You can then click download, where you’re redirected… somewhere. Wherever it is, you’re given the standard browser download box. And moments later you have your song.

If you’re like me, you say, "Huh?" That… that can’t be legal. And indeed it’s not.

Woonz explains in its FAQ that it is simply a search engine targeted at MP3s that other folks have put online — something like doing a Google search with "filetype:mp3" added. Except that Google doesn’t support MP3 searches — just .doc, .xls, .pdf, and a few others.

There’s a disclaimer at the bottom of the page:

No files are cached or stored on Woonz servers, all data comes from thier various sources on the internet. Do not download copyrighted material without permission. Woonz is a search engine designed for LEGAL entertainment purposes only. This search engine is in no way intended for illegal downloads.

All well and good, except that Woonz doesn’t tell you where it’s getting the file! It’s kinda like Barry Bonds’s trainer giving him an unmarked pill and saying, "Don’t take any illegal drugs."

It feels like Woonz is on the right side of the law, but only barely. It’s just a search engine, and holding it liable for what it searches for might be a tough nut to crack.

But the argument "Well, it’s up to the user to determine whether he’s downloading legally" may not work when Woonz doesn’t give said user the information necessary to make that call.