e of this argument comes from the people that absolutely hate Napster. Musicians, record companies and anyone that makes money off the sale of music are Napsters biggest enemies, and the reason why is money. When someone can download a song for free he or she is less likely to go out and buy that CD. This takes away from profits and apparently effects profits enough for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Napster (Graham 19). The lawsuit is complicated and many injunctions and appeals have been filed in the legal maze that is taking place. For example on July 26,2000 according to bloomberg.com San Francisco U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel issued a preliminary injunction shutting Napster down that was supposed to take effect midnight that Friday (Chen n. pag.). Needless to say this never happened because Napster filed an appeal that was granted two days later (that Friday), which allowed Napster to stay in operation past the Friday deadline (Barnes, Ard n. pag.). The courts met again on October 2, 2000 but again no decision was reached. As of now the trial is in a stalemate, while Napster still operates and the RIAA patiently waits for a new court date to be set.Whatever the outcome of this trial, it is sure to have a profound effect on the way files are shared on the Internet. Napster recently merged with media company Bertelsmann and has plans to charge users for certain services. Love Napster or hate it, it looks like it is here to stay in one form or another. ...
