The Recording Industry Association of America on Wednesday issued its thoughts on the LimeWire shutdown, arguing that the P2P site's accomplishments were nothing to write home about.

"The operators of LimeWire continue to tout how 'proud' they are of their service," the RIAA wrote on its blog. "To be clear, for the better part of the last decade, LimeWire and its operators have violated the law, and in doing so, enriched themselves immensely."

Lime Wire announced this week that it has blocked its LimeWire service from the Gnutella peer-to-peer network.

Lime Wire was orderd by the court to disable the searching, downloading, uploading, file trading and/or file distribution functionality, and/or all functionality of LimeWire's P2P file-sharing software. Visitors to the site are now met with a legal notice that notifies them of the shutdown.

Earlier this year, a Manhattan federal judge ruled in favor of 13 record labels and the RIAA after they sued LimeWire for copyright infringement. The RIAA wanted the site shut down immediately, but LimeWire was granted a reprieve; until now.

"In January, the court will conduct a trial to determine the appropriate level of damages," the RIAA said.

The RIAA, not surprisingly, had little sympathy for LimeWire. "LimeWire was responsible for millions in lost sales to countless up-and-coming artists, those who already grace our earphones, and big and small music labels alike. Services that flout the law do not deserve a place in today's music marketplace where hundreds of existing, accessible, innovative legal sites offer users their favorite music at affordable prices – sometimes even free."

Eradicating sites like LimeWire ensures that there is a level playing field for legal music stores, the RIAA continued. This week's shutdown "represents a significant step in the bright future of digital music."

Still need a P2P fix? Check out PCMag's list of LimeWire alternatives.