Napster is Good

Napster is Good

There is a corporation that has brought up plenty of controversy; its name is Napster Incorporated. Napster is located in Redwood City, California. The problem is that some record companies and artists are saying that Napster is infringing on their copyright laws by offering a program were you can share and download copyrighted songs for free. Napster is currently at service too more than 20 million users. I’m currently one of those users. I think that the lawsuits brought upon are silly and ridiculous, and have no point because Napster first started the record sales for the artists have grown rapidly. Also Napster is breaking no law because I believe that they are just following a law that lets users have “fair use” which gives them the right to sample and exchange the music of new artists who want to share their property. And Napster is helping build the market for digital distribution by building consumers awareness and acceptance of downloading music.

You’re probably all wondering when this great corporation started and how it got brought about. It all started in January of 1999 when Shawn Fanning, the creator of Napster, dropped out of Northeastern University in the first semester of his freshman year to finish writing the software for Napster. Then the first download is completed on June 1, 1999 and Napster begins its operations. Then on December 7 of 1999 things start going downhill when the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) sues Napster for copyright infringement. Asking for damages of $100,000 each time a song is copied. Then the rock band Metallica sues Napster for copyright infringement on April 13, 2000. Then to show Napster’s concern about copyright infringement they kick off more than 300,000 for downloading Metallica using Napster’s services. I was also one of those users that got kicked off. Then on July 26, 2000 things go crazy as the U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel rules in favor of the record industry and orders Napster to stop allowing copyrighted material to be exchanged over its network.

It is ordered that Napster to be shut down in two days time. But then 9 hours before Napster would have been shut down, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Napster should be allowed the continue operating.

Now Napster is still up and running, and Napster’s 46 employees are celebrating.