Mashboxx, the legal P2P software provider, has appointed a former Napster and Universal Music Group executive as President and CEO.

Wayne Rosso, the colourful current incumbent, will become chairman, handing over the running of the company he founded to Mike Bebel, The Register has learned.

Pressplay was later acquired by Roxio, which subsequently bought the Napster name and used Pressplay as the foundation for its licensed music download business. Bebel became the Napster division's President and COO, a role he quit last year.

Despite his move to offer a legitmately licensed peer-to-peer operation, Rosso, as one-time head of P2P software provider Grokster, isn't exactly one of the music industry's best buddies. With so many P2P services now going offline in response to the Recording Industry Ass. of America's cease-and-desist requests, Rosso undoubtedly reckons it's now time to give Mashboxx a public face untarnished by the first file-sharing era and one the major labels will feel confidendent in dealing with.

Someone, in other words, who is 'us' not 'them'.

Rosso's goal with Mashboxx was to create a legal P2P service that would nonetheless co-exist with the questionable ones. The RIAA's actions, fueled by the US Supreme Court's judgement against Grokster and StreamCast, leaves Mashboxx's as-yet-unlaunched network in a vacuum, at least until other legal P2P services come on stream. Indeed, Mashboxx itself may yet prove Grokster's saviour, and we can't help wondering if that's not, at least in part, behind Rosso's change of role.

"I am completely confident that Mike will not only take us to market successfully, but build Mashboxx into a long term meaningful entity in the digital entertainment delivery realm," Rosso told The Register by email today. ®

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• EMI blesses try before you buy (2 August 2006)
• Grokster to be reborn by year's end (9 November 2005)
• Grokster closes, goes legal (8 November 2005)
• Rockers fight for their right to restore dignity to the Download Festival (9 October 2005)
• RIAA files 757 more P2P lawsuits (30 September 2005)
• Music exec: quit whining and dump Mac, Linux (23 September 2005)
• Good ship P2P burns to the waterline (22 September 2005)
• WinMX and eDonkey: offline, doors closed (22 September 2005)
• Mashboxx in Grokster 'takeover talks' (19 September 2005)
• Mashboxx pulls off Sony BMG deal (29 June 2005)
• Snocap opens P2P music tracker to all (14 June 2005)
• Exclusive Mashboxx opens beta test scheme (6 May 2005)