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Oct. 2, 2000
A three-judge panel heard oral arguments in the high-stakes Napster internet music case today. The court hearing ended with things sounding hopeful for Napster.
The judges on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco hinted that they might let the music-sharing service continue to operate while the legal battle continues with the recording industry.
The judges put lawyers for the recording industry on the defensive, asking them if it's realistic to expect Napster to keep tabs on all of the music traded by its users.
The questions suggest that the court may be reluctant to shut down the Napster site.
Lawyers for record makers say they're not trying to stop the Internet, they're just trying to stop pirated music.
But Napster says it has no idea of what's being transmitted, and can't separate copyrighted from non-copyrighted music.
Hilary Rosen, president and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America said after today's hearing, "We were pleased with the court’s understanding of the issues."
A decision isn't expected for at least a month.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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