Japan: Winny Developer Dies at 42 · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Isamu Kaneko, the Japanese developer of file-sharing software Winny, died due to an undisclosed illness on July 8, 2013 at the age of 42. He was charged in 2006 with “assisting” Winny users to violate copyright, but the case against him was later overturned and his acquittal upheld by the country's Supreme Court.
Japanese economist Nobuo Ikeda (@ikedanob) commented in grief:
@ikedanob: 金子勇さんは歴史に残るイノベーターだった。京都府警がP2Pを敵視しなければ、日本からSkypeのような革新的なビジネスが出た可能性もあった。国家がイノベーションを生むことはできないが、じゃまはいくらでもできる。合掌
@ikedanob: Isamu Kaneko was epic innovator. If the Kyoto Prefecture Police had not regarded P2P with hostility, Japan could have been home to innovative business such as Skype. The nation state is incapable of generating innovation but is capable of interfering with it. My condolences.
Link in quote was added by Keiko Tanaka for background information.