If you’re between the ages of 35 and 55, or remember LimeWire and MapQuest, prepare yourself for a rush of nostalgia.
Out of the blue this week, LimeWire popped up on Instagram Threads. (LimeWire was a peer-to-peer file sharing service that people used two decades ago, mostly for pirated music.)
LimeWire said this: “Just a reminder, the music industry tried to sue us for $72 TRILLION back in the day. Like, LOL, does that number even exist? Still not paying.”
And another blast-from-the-past, MapQuest, came out of the woodwork, and replied: “We remember that.” (???)
The recording industry did claim damages of $72 trillion, which was more than triple the world’s annual GDP. But they later agreed to a settlement where the company would pay 13 record labels approximately $105 million.
Anyway, people LOVED seeing LimeWire and MapQuest pop up in their feeds.
One person joked, “Seeing LimeWire on Threads in 2026 is like running into a person you went to high school with, no ill will, but I’m still crossing the street and pretending I didn’t see you.”
Another said, “[Response will arrive in: 34 hours, 24 minutes.]”
One said, “You gave my computer an STD.” Another said, “If I repost this, will I get a virus?” And a person joked, “You helped us ALL commit felonies!”
AOL Instant Messenger has yet to comment, neither has Chi-Chi’s, Tower Records, KB Toys, or Circuit City.
(LimeWire has been mostly defunct for 15 years, but the name was resuscitated in recent years, and they’ve been doing bizarre stuff, like getting into NFTs and buying the rights to the failed Fyre Festival.)
(MapQuest is actually still around, after making a bit of a comeback.)
(Threads)
