Napster agrees to block files

In a blow to free music lovers everywhere, Napster has agreed to block the downloading of files containing copyrighted music. In a press release, Napster said it agreed to this in an attempt to prevent a looming injunction from forcing it to shut down entirely.\nMany believe this still isn't enough to allay the record industry's concerns. Court of Appeals Judge Marilyn Hall Patel said she still plans to issue an injunction that will severely handicap Napster. "It's no longer a question if we should issue an injunction. It's what it will look like," she told The Washington Post.\nNapster officials worry blocking copyrighted music files will be costly and hinder its service. David Boies, lead council for Napster told The Washington Post, "It's a costly burden in terms of money and the performance of the service. But it's a burden that we're accepting."\nUnfortunately for Napster, the Recording Industry Association of America still isn't satisfied. Two weeks ago Napster offered to settle for $1 billion for the right to continue operations, but was quickly and firmly rebuffed. The RIAA demands Napster take the initiative to block copyrighted music at its own expense.\nDuring court deliberations, Russell Frackman, a lawyer representing the RIAA, told Patel, "We will give them an album title, song title and the artist. They should do whatever is necessary to block access to that."\nNapster believes it should only have to block a particular song after a record company has proof that it has been downloaded, a process which it says will take three business days to complete. Napster also wants the record companies to deliver lists of songs they want blocked in digital format, which the RIAA opposes, saying Napster should bear the brunt of the burden, according to the New York Times.\nMany at Napster said being forced to block copyrighted music will undermine its service and could ultimately destroy it. In a press release, Napster Chief Executive Hank Barry said, "We're fighting to keep the Napster community together. In the same release, Boies continued along the same lines saying, "It will not be the same. No doubt about it."\nEven if Napster shuts down, file sharing will still take place via Web sites like Audiogalaxy, iMesh or Gnutella. If the U.S. government tries to cut off the head of the free file-sharing movement, two could grow in its place.