BearShare is a one of the newest of the peer to peer file sharing applications but it is quickly catching up with its competitors. BearShare is an application that was conceived by the Free Peers Inc. The Bear Share program runs under the Microsoft Windows program. There are three basic versions of the BearShare peer to peer file sharing application and these are BearShare free, BearShare lite, and BearShare Pro. Naturally, the free BearShare download is the most popular. But even if you don't want the free BearShare, even if the free Bear Share does not entice you, here are some reasons why you should consider getting a BearShare download, free or otherwise.

Which BearShare Download Is Right For You?
Which BearShare flavor should you consider? The Bear Share lite version is favored some users because it is essentially malware free. However, the free Bear Share version has more features than the BearShare lite version. Whether you choose the BearShare free download, BearShare 5, or any other kind of BearShare, you will probably be pleased with the ample features offered by BearShare. Here are some things you should know before you choose which BearShare version works best for you. The free version has the most basic features but comes loaded with malware. The BearShare Pro version comes without the malware but it will cost you 24 dollars for its use. The BearShare Lite version is malware-free, but it does come with less basic features than the original free BearShare.

Is BearShare Illegal?
One question that you may have before you download BearShare or get your BearShare free version downloaded onto your desktop is whether you are potentially breaking any copyright laws. BearShare, like most other free peer to peer file sharing application systems that have populated the World Wide Web since the notorious Napster have had their fair share of legal troubles. In the summer of 2005, BearShare had to shut down its forums due to court injunction following a lawsuit by MGM studios. In May of 2006, the owners of BearShare, Free Peers Inc., agreed to pay just about $30 million dollars in a court settlement.

Changes To The Bearshare Application
With the advent of these legal troubles, in August of 2006, after all the assets of BearShare were transferred to MusicLab (which is the subsidiary of iMesh), a new version of BearShare was released. The new version is called BearShare v6.