A&M Records v. Napster Inc. (2001)
Court case that challenged federal copyright laws under
United States Code Title 17.
In 2000, A&M Records and several other plaintiffs filed a
civil case against Napster citing infringement of copyright
laws. Napster, utilizing the latest MP3 digital music compression technology, allowed members to share music at no cost
to the member. The founder, Shawn Fanning, established the
Internet website for the purpose of providing “samples” of
music from a variety of artists. When the recording industry
filed charges against Napster, attorneys for the defendant
argued that the company operated under the 1992 Audio
Home Recording Act that allowed for the noncommercial
reproduction of audio materials. Because Napster provided a
free service allowing members to share music, the company
argued that it complied with the existing copyright laws.
Attorneys for A&M Records and various other plaintiffs
within the music industry argued that Napster provided
access to copyrighted music that individuals could download
and then copy. The lower court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs,
and an appeal was filed with the Ninth District Court of
Appeals, which upheld the lower court’s decision but
returned the case to the lower court for the preparation of a
revised injunction against Napster. According to the 2001 ruling, Napster must review its files and remove from its website
all copyrighted music if the owner of the rights to that music
objects to its use by Napster. Napster still retains the right to
appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, but given the
conservative nature of the Court, it appears improbable that
Napster attorneys will pursue that course of action.