| Service to voluntarily block thousands of songs
The popular music-swapping service says it will block several titles to counter legal pressures from the record industry. Although fans have been faithful, with new restrictions they may seek alternative networks.  Napster to voluntarily halt song trades
audio | update
The service says it has created a way to screen individual file names that would likely go into effect this weekend.
March 2, 2001, 2:40 p.m. PT
Rivals unlikely to throw up filters
The company's plans to block some music from its system could put pressure on other file-swapping services to do the same, but don't expect any rush to filter.
March 2, 2001, 3:50 p.m. PT
Fans undaunted by constraints
Although they're quick to defend the music file-swapping service, fans seem to have little loyalty to Napster as it battles the courts.
March 2, 2001, 3:35 p.m. PT
Aimster fights labels with own fuel
One music-swapping alternative is using the law in a bid to escape a similar legal fate as Napster.
March 2, 2001, 1:10 p.m. PT
Rival services prepare for onslaught
video
Napster clones are bracing for their biggest test yet in anticipation of their role model being shut down.
March 1, 2001, 3:00 p.m. PT
RIAA's Rosen courts streaming companies
Streaming media companies are in a race to create sustainable businesses that deliver music over the Web.
March 1, 2001, 12:45 p.m. PT
Napster offers recording industry $1 billion
video | update
Executives offer record companies $1 billion over five years for the right to allow copyrighted music to be traded on the service.
February 20, 2001, 5:45 p.m. PT
| 
| | Holding court | | Jan.
1999 | Shawn Fanning, 19, creates Napster, allowing Web
surfers to
open their hard drives to other people and swap MP3
files.
| | May | Napster Inc. is founded. | Dec.
7 | The record industry charges Napster with violating
federal and
state laws through copyright infringement. | | Jan.
2000 | Universities clamp down on Napster, citing
beleaguered
bandwidth.
A Stanford University senior posts a page describing how Napster's
software
works. | | April | Metallica and Dr. Dre sue Napster and some
universities, charging that they are responsible for copyright
violations. | May
8 | U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel orders
Napster
to stand trial
for copyright infringement.
| May
21 | Napster receives $15 million in venture capital from
Hummer Winblad. | | June 13 | The Recording Industry Association of America seeks
a preliminary
injunction
against Napster, raising the possibility that the service will
stop. | June
16 | David Boies, the Justice Department's special
counsel
in the
Microsoft antitrust case, joins Napster's legal team. | July
26 | Patel orders Napster to halt the trading of
copyrighted
material. | July
28 | The appellate court allows Napster to remain in
operation while
it prepares to hear an expedited appeal. | Aug.
18 | Napster's legal team asks the appellate court to
overturn the
lower court's order. | Oct.
2 | A panel of appellate judges harshly grills lawyers
for
both sides
before adjourning without a decision. | Oct.
31 | Bertelsmann forms an alliance with Napster to
develop a
subscription service.
| | Jan.
2001 | Joel Klein, the former antitrust chief for the
Justice
Department, is named chairman and chief executive of the U.S. division
of
German media giant Bertelsmann.
| Feb.
12 | A three-judge panel asks a lower court to narrow an earlier
injunction, stopping short of immediately halting music swapping on Napster. | Feb.
20 | Napster offers record labels $1 billion for the right to allow
copyrighted music to be traded on its network. | Feb.
25 | Napster asks a full federal appeals court to review the three-judge
decision that could shut it down.
|
|
Napster: We'll police our beat
