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July 29, 2000
(San Francisco-AP) -- Napster has been granted a reprieve.
Two federal judges issued an eleventh-hour stay yesterday. It allows the online music service to continue business as usual -- at least until a lawsuit against it can be heard.
The recording industry has filed suit, claiming Napster is breaking copyright laws and fostering an illegal Internet giveaway.
Napster CE-O Hank Barry says he's looking forward to presenting his case "in a full and fair manner" when the case goes to trial.
Before the stay was issued, Barry and Napster's founder, Shawn Fanning, said they were trying to find a way to comply with the injunction that prohibited trading copyrighted music online.
Before the stay, thousands of outraged Napster users pledged to boycott the recording industry in retaliation for its lawsuit -- and to look for other free music-sharing programs.
(Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
