Rapidshare is one of the most popular file-hosting services in the world. It is not in an entirely enviable position, though, as the affection it commands among its patrons is offset by the contempt it receives from content owners affected by the abundance of unauthorized content on its servers. The courts have time and again made it clear Rapidshare has no choice but to proactively filter content. Having been pushed into a tight corner, the Germany-based file host has come up with a plan to pacify the entertainment industry.

According to a report on TorrentFreak.com, which contains excerpts of recent correspondence between Rapidshare’s General Manager Bobby Chang and representatives of the entertainment, the plan is to take down an unauthorized file and redirect all traffic to its URL to an online store.

“If a user finds out that several attempts to download an illegal copy of a DVD are in vain, and if his several attempts to ’steal’ this DVD have just brought him to an online-store, he may finally be frustrated and willing to purchase a licensed version of this movie,”  Chang wrote in a letter to entertainment industry executives. “We are willing to invest substantially into this online store and I would be glad to not just talk about RapidShare as a threat for the entertainment industry, but also about RapidShare as an interesting option to sell your products.”

Rapidshare owes most of the several petabytes of data it hosts to its popularity as a safe haven for both uploaders and downloaders of unauthorized content. It is difficult to imagine its success without the free reign its users have enjoyed over the years, although it denies ever conniving at illegal file sharing. Ironically, Rapidshare has no recollection of its past business practices and even accuses competitors of  “trying really hard to gain the favor of those users, who rely on cyberlockers to spread and distribute copyright protected content.”

Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have announced a new three-year pact worth $250 million. Although their friendship goes back many years, this new deal is the acme of their proximity. They plan to conquer the enterprise market by bundling their hardware and software together, with the new partnership spanning engineering, sales and marketing.

The fact that the two companies are leaders in their respective industries explains why they chose to name their new partnership “Frontline.” They are following the lead of some other big IT companies that have combined forces and solutions to sell integrated IT stacks.

If you are struggling to grasp the exact nature of the partnership, then you are not alone. Apparently, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and HP CEO Mark Hurd were so busy raving about their partnership that they forgot to divulge any lucid details. But the information posted on Microsoft Technet does seem to be of some help: “Microsoft and HP will deliver ‘Smart Bundles’ for small and medium businesses.  These are a combination of hardware and software, including HP server, storage and networking solutions, coupled with Windows Server Hyper-V and HP Insight software, delivered in a single, cost-effective package.”

The partnership will also provide a lot of impetus to the Windows Azure Platform, “with HP offering services, and Microsoft continuing to include HP hardware for Windows Azure infrastructure.”