“A federal judge today ordered Napster to halt the trading of
copyrighted material, saying the founders of the enormously popular
music-swapping site have “created a monster.”
“Napster attorneys said the injunction could shut down the
service until a trial is held later this year because the company
cannot easily filter out copyrighted material. If a planned appeal
fails, the order takes effect Friday at midnight PT.”
“The order, however, does not directly affect the estimated
20 million people who have used Napster’s software to download
countless MP3-encoded songs since last year. The record industry
would have to file separate lawsuits against individuals, which is
highly unlikely.“
“Napster is enjoined from copying or assisting or enabling or
contributing to the copy or duplication of all copyrighted songs
and musical compositions of which the plaintiffs hold rights,” U.S.
District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ordered during a hearing in
San Francisco federal court.”