File Hosting Service RapidShare To Close Its Doors March 31

If you've ever searched online for some sort of digital media, chances are good that you've stumbled upon RapidShare at least once. As one of the first file-sharing sites out there, RapidShare rose to fame fast, fueled by the fact that it made sharing an easy task, and a free one.

It's no surprise, though, that many ended up using the service to share copyrighted materials. While that was never the site's intent, it was just bound to happen, and the owners took a largely hands-off approach to things originally. Eventually, RapidShare fought a number of legal battles with companies that wanted their content off of the site, and as TorrentFreak reports, the US Government even once called the site a "notorious market".

As time went on, RapidShare worked to make its site as legal as possible, something that ended up making its traffic plunge. That eventually cost a number of employees their jobs, and now, it's cost the site its life.

Upon visiting the site today, you'll be greeted with a rather unceremonious message:

Kindly note that RapidShare will stop the active service on March 31st, 2015. Extensions of STANDARD PLUS and PREMIUM will be possible until February 28th, 2015.

It's been a good run when you consider that the site once ranked within the top 50 on the planet, in terms of traffic. The mighty have definitely fallen in this case, but as these things go, there will never be a shortage of competitors.