A Dutch company that bills itself "The Honest Thief," is the latest threat to an entertainment and recording industry beset by swelling numbers of file-swapping services.

Hiding out in the Netherlands, the file-sharing service plans in the spring to license its software and provide legal advice to others who hope to set up the newest incarnation of peer-to-peer services.

The recording industry has succeeded in dismantling services like Napster and Aimster by taking legal action in the United States. But the Honest Thief, whose [link|http://www.thehonestthief.com|Web site] went public on Friday, plans to take advantage of a Dutch appeals court [link|http://news.com.com/2100-1023-870396.html|ruling] last March that essentially paved the way for Holland to become a legal haven for file-sharing countries