May 2000 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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May 2000 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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Napster must stand trial in MP3 lawsuits 9 May 2000 In a hearing Friday, San Francisco US District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled that Internet startup/MP3 distribution site Napster is not protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act against current lawsuits. The Copyright Act protects Internet Service Providers (ISPs) against copyright violations by their subscribers, much in the way VCR manufacturers cannot be held liable for consumers who illegally copy movies. But Patel ruled that Napster has positioned itself to provide information that allows illegal transfer of copyrighted material. This role, she ruled, is not protected by the Copyright Act. The suits brought by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Metallica, and Dr. Dre will now go to trial. RIAA president Hilary Rosen said “This hearing was Napster's attempt to escape responsibility for aiding and abetting widescale piracy and, not surprisingly, they lost.” | BBC story | | Cnet story | | RIAA legal page | | top of page | |
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