A federal judge has ordered Napster to halt the operations of its phenomenally popular song-sharing internet service, saying the upstart company was allowing copyrighted music to be copied illegally. The preliminary injunction, set to take effect on Friday, would effectively shut down the website, which has more than thirteen million users and has come to define the monumental conflict between the openness of the internet and intellectual property rights.
Shawn Fanning, the nineteen-year-old founder of Napster, had this to say late last night on the internet:
Shawn Fanning: “When I had the idea of building an internet community to help music fans find MP3s, I didn’t think we would be embroiled in a legal battle, but we are. And as you know, the recording industry has filed a suit to shut Napster down, to shut you down. Today there was an important hearing in court, and the judge ruled against us. We will keep fighting for Napster and for your right to share music over the internet.”
That was Shawn Fanning, who was speaking on, where else, but the internet, about his company, Napster.