90s Timeline ------------ 1990/3 Secret Services Raids Steve Jackson Games 1990/5 Operation Sun Devil 1990/9 I get a private preview of Quicktime and lose all interest in mu-law. 1991 Apple introduces Quicktime 1992 First CD Rippers Appear 1992 Draft MPEG-1 Standard Completed 1992/10 Audio Home Recording Act Passed 1992/11 Video for Windows 1992 Digital Audio Tape and Minidisc allowed in US (with SCMS) 1993 MPEG-1 Standard Released 1993 Video CD standard 1993 Digital audio recorders with "Copy Management" suck and bomb quickly. 1994/7 First MP3 Encoder Released (L3enc) 1995/4 Real Audio Launched 1995/9 AudioNet formed (will become Broadcast.com) 1995/9 First MP3 Player Released (WinPlay3) 1995/9 .mp3 File Standardized 1996 CD Burners Drop Under $1,000 1996/8 First MP3 Release Groups Form 1996/9 Finnish police shutdown anon.penet.fi anonymous re-mailer 1996/10 Park Central pirate BBS closes down 1997/1 FBI Operation Cyberstrike, takes down warez group BBSs. 1997/4 Jim Griffin of Geffen Records begins threatening MP3 Sites 1997 Second MP3 Encoder Released (mp3enc) 1997 Cable Modems Begin Rolling Out 1997 Hotline Released 1997 Winamp Released 1997/11 RealNetworks IPO +43 percent 1997/11 MP3.com Launched 1997/12 No Electronic Theft act is signed into law 1998 LAME Open Source MP3 Encoder Project Begins 1998/7 Broadcast.com IPO +250 percent 1998/10 Digital Millennium Copyright Act signed into law 1999/1 TIVO announced 1999/4 Diamond Rio Argued April 15, 1999. 1999/6 Napster Released 1999/6 Diamond Rio Decided June 15, 1999. 1999/6 TIVO Shipped 1999/7 MP3.com IPO x3 +126 percent 1999/10 DeCSS released 1999/12 Napster Lawsuit Filed