Jean Michel Messier, Chairman of Vivendi Universal told the Financial Times, “We often thought that an alliance with Napster would be the only possibility but I don’t believe it is right to give the advantage to pirates.”
The companies behind Duet will offer a subscription service and a pay-per-listen service.
This week, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the industry group representing the world’s major record labels in their battle against Napster, has sent 60 legal notices to ISPs providing internet connections for “Open Napster” servers, according to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal. If the ISPs do not take down the connections to the servers after being warned, they could be found liable for contributing to copyright infringement.
The servers, of which there are an estimated 350 in operation at any one time, run software similar to the Napster software. This acts as a central directory, listing the titles of music files held on users’ hard drives. The Open Napster community is not associated with the company.
The RIAA has acknowledged that some of the Open Napster servers are located outside the US, which will make the RIAA’s task of putting pressure on the ISPs more difficult.
See also:
Record labels dismiss $1 billion Napster offer, OUT-LAW News, 22/02/2001
Napster makes $1 billion settlement offer to record labels, OUT-LAW News, 21/02/2001
EU approves new copyright Directive, OUT-LAW News, 15/02/2001
Court rules against Napster and upholds injunction, OUT-LAW News, 13/02/2001
Reaction to the Napster ruling, OUT-LAW News, 13/02/2001