“Expect more headline acts to follow Metallica’s lead and launch
legal action against controversial software developer Napster – so
says the metal band’s lawyer, Howard King.”
“King handles the legal affairs not only of Metallica, but The
Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins and the Goo Goo Dolls. King also
represents rapper Dr. Dre, who this week demanded that Napster
remove MP3 versions of his tracks from the company’s
directory.”
“The suits will be remarkably similar to Metallica’s,” said King
of the coming legal action. King certainly seems to be the
prime mover here, contacting artists to demonstrate Napster’s
self-named MP3 cataloguing software to them. It’s not quite
ambulance chasing, but King certainly seems to have scented a
mood of hostility among name acts and is trying to get as many
involved in legal action as he can.”