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However, there was no test case for blaming car manufacturers for what drivers do with their vehicles. But, shortly we'll see prosecutions against software developers for the illegal activities of their subscribers.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing is once again being cast as a slur on the Internet, following the US Supreme Court's surprise ruling that networks such as Grokster and Morpheus could be blamed for providing the vehicle for widespread copyright infringement.

Unlike many people, I believe the case for the defence is tenuous. Although the biggest selling point for Grokster, as advertised on its website, is 'Publishing - share your music and movies with the rest of the world', we all know whose music the majority of people were really sharing - that of the record labels, artists and music producers.

Being a decent, law-abiding citizen (except when I'm in the car), I stopped using such services a long time ago. But as the use of these things has failed to drive the world's top labels into the ground, I was generally in support of the companies that allowed file swapping. I can't help but support the technology on the basis of the central role it has had on attracting new people to the Internet. It's also provided the incentive for a new wave of innovators to develop applications that connect people from all over the world.

Should the lawsuits go ahead, and traditional peer-to-peer tools be deemed illegal in the US (and remember, this is only for the US for now), it will be sadly referred to as the end of an era. But we must also welcome it as the beginning of a new one, a time when P2P is lauded as the vastly useful tool that it is.

No longer will we see 'file swapping' in news headlines and expect to read on to find examples of how it's killing the music and movie industries.

Instead,

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we can expect to learn about an innovative new application that has benefits for copyright owners and consumers alike. But to do that, we need to encourage a greater understanding of that potential.

It's not just the perceived illegality of P2P that's likely to frighten off new users; it's also the threat of downloading viruses and spyware. A lot of misinformation also spreads on the Net, with P2P the perfect scapegoat for those who fear change.

The All Party Internet Group's Derek Wyatt MP recently slammed the BBC for its plans for a Creative Archive from which people will be able to download clips of factual programmes. It was reported that the plan would infringe on copyright owners' future revenue streams. It wasn't reported that the BBC isn't expecting to offer the service via P2P in the first phase, nor was it mentioned that the broadcaster has been working on watertight digital rights management for when its P2P strategy is up and running.

The BBC is one of a number of content owners embracing file swapping, having spotted that it offers the perfect way to distribute large files around the Internet at low cost. With people increasingly using the Net to access rich media files, the cost of delivery becomes a barrier to content providers as demand surges. So it makes economic sense to offload that burden onto customers. Media companies would only have to make content available to a few users for a short period, and before long there's an enormous network of connected members delivering it on their behalf.

As well as content delivery, these networks provide a new way for people to collaborate, as shown by the availability of P2P networks that provide communication (VoIP), teaching and anti-spam services.

So while the Supreme Court's decision may spell the end of file sharing as we know it, it's time to separate the illegal uses of P2P from the fundamental benefits of the underlying technology. Much the same as I've upgraded my Fiat and have designs on an even faster car, I've switched from the murky world of illegal P2P services and I'm looking forward to the widespread availability of increasingly innovative applications for this technology.

It could be time you swapped Grokster, Morpheus and Kazaa for one of the new breed of P2P networks. If enough people do, the Supreme Court's ruling will be deemed a victory rather than a defeat for file swapping.