The RIAA lawsuit against Napster was put on hold for a month after requests from both sides while they seek a possible settlement.
Napster that is trying to become a legal paid music swap service, after being bought by BMG, is facing the judge again at Feb. 17.
Napster, which claimed more than 40 million users in its heyday, went offline last July as it sought to comply with Patel's earlier order that it screen the unauthorized files from its network. |
Now financed by the parent company of the BMG record label, it plans to relaunch as a paid subscription service with only properly licensed music to be shared among users. A settlement would serve both sides well, said Raymond James & Associates analyst Phil Leigh.
"I think the record labels think that they've put Napster through a rehabilitation program. They're going to let Napster return to society with a leash," he said.
Since it went offline, many Napster users have migrated to other free services such as Morpheus, Kazaa and various programs that access the Gnutella network, an ever-changing web of users connected over the Internet with no central computer server nor any company at the helm to sue.
If I was one of the guys of Napster, I would take a plane to a warm country, buy a nice house, and go forever on holiday instead of trying to make a hit of the new Napster.
Source: Wired.com
