Industry Reacts to Napster Decision

ByABC News
February 15, 2001, 2:11 PM

February 13 -- Music corporations and many of the artists who record for them declared victory yesterday after a federal appeals court decision in the Napster case that many say will end the free download era.

Though the decision of the trio of San Francisco judges does not force the immediate closure of Napster, it supports almost all the points of the record industry's legal case. When the injunction, first written last summer, is revised, Napster's popular MP3-sharing service may be forced to close.

"We are pleased with the court's decision to uphold the fundamental elements of the injunction, and we hope the message is clear: Artists' rights must be respected online," said Noah Stone, executive director of Artists Against Piracy, a coalition that represents Aimee Mann, Alanis Morissette, the Barenaked Ladies, Blink-182, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Christina Aguilera, DMX, Everclear, Faith Hill, Sisqo, and more than 80 other artists.

Metallica, the hard rock act that became equally known last year for its vocal opposition to Napster, released its own statement on the ruling.

"We are delighted that the court has upheld the rights of all artists to protect and control their creative efforts," the band said. "We have never objected to the technology, the Internet, or the digital distribution of music. All we have ever asked is that artists be able to control how, when, and in what form their creativity is distributed through these channels. This is something that Napster has continually refused to do. Now the court has made that decision for them."

The major record labels all released statements lauding the decision, as did the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group that represents their interests.

Bertelsmann AG, the German media giant that owns record group BMG, perhaps had the most at stake in the decision, as the company has heavily invested in Napster and planned to drop its lawsuit against the renegade company this summer, when Napster converts to a paying model.