<s>
Napster	B-Application
was	O
a	O
peer-to-peer	O
file	O
sharing	O
application	O
that	O
originally	O
launched	O
on	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
1999	O
with	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
digital	O
audio	O
file	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Audio	O
songs	O
shared	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
were	O
typically	O
encoded	O
in	O
the	O
MP3	B-Application
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
more	O
decentralized	O
projects	O
followed	O
Napster	B-Application
's	O
P2P	O
file-sharing	O
example	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Gnutella	B-Protocol
,	O
Freenet	B-Protocol
,	O
FastTrack	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Soulseek	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
services	O
and	O
software	O
,	O
like	O
AudioGalaxy	O
,	O
LimeWire	B-Application
,	O
Scour	B-Application
,	O
Kazaa	B-Protocol
/	O
Grokster	B-Protocol
,	O
Madster	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
eDonkey2000	B-Protocol
,	O
were	O
also	O
brought	O
down	O
or	O
changed	O
due	O
to	O
copyright	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
's	O
assets	O
were	O
eventually	O
acquired	O
by	O
Roxio	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
re-emerged	O
as	O
an	O
online	O
music	O
store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Best	O
Buy	O
later	O
purchased	O
the	O
service	O
and	O
merged	O
it	O
with	O
its	O
Rhapsody	O
service	O
on	O
December	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
rebranding	O
back	O
to	O
Napster	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
was	O
founded	O
by	O
Shawn	O
Fanning	O
and	O
Sean	O
Parker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
envisioned	O
by	O
Fanning	O
as	O
an	O
independent	O
peer-to-peer	O
file	O
sharing	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
technology	O
allowed	O
people	O
to	O
easily	O
share	O
their	O
MP3	B-Application
files	I-Application
with	O
other	O
participants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
original	O
service	O
was	O
shut	O
down	O
by	O
court	O
order	O
,	O
the	O
Napster	B-Application
brand	O
survived	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
assets	O
were	O
liquidated	O
and	O
purchased	O
by	O
other	O
companies	O
through	O
bankruptcy	O
proceedings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
there	O
were	O
already	O
networks	O
that	O
facilitated	O
the	O
distribution	O
of	O
files	O
across	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
IRC	B-Protocol
,	O
Hotline	O
,	O
and	O
Usenet	B-Application
,	O
Napster	B-Application
specialized	O
in	O
MP3	B-Application
files	I-Application
of	O
music	O
and	O
a	O
user-friendly	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
its	O
peak	O
,	O
the	O
Napster	B-Application
service	O
had	O
about	O
80	O
million	O
registered	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
made	O
it	O
relatively	O
easy	O
for	O
music	O
enthusiasts	O
to	O
download	O
copies	O
of	O
songs	O
that	O
were	O
otherwise	O
difficult	O
to	O
obtain	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
older	O
songs	O
,	O
unreleased	O
recordings	O
,	O
studio	O
recordings	O
,	O
and	O
songs	O
from	O
concert	O
bootleg	O
recordings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
paved	O
the	O
way	O
for	O
streaming	O
media	O
services	O
and	O
transformed	O
music	O
into	O
a	O
public	O
good	O
for	O
a	O
brief	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
High-speed	O
networks	O
in	O
college	O
dormitories	O
became	O
overloaded	O
,	O
with	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
61%	O
of	O
external	O
network	O
traffic	O
consisting	O
of	O
MP3	B-Application
file	I-Application
transfers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Macster	O
was	O
later	O
bought	O
by	O
Napster	B-Application
and	O
designated	O
the	O
official	O
Mac	O
Napster	B-Application
client	O
(	O
"	O
Napster	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Mac	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
the	O
Macster	O
name	O
was	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
before	O
the	O
acquisition	O
of	O
Macster	O
,	O
the	O
Macintosh	O
community	O
had	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
independently	O
developed	O
Napster	B-Application
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
notable	O
was	O
the	O
open	O
source	B-Application
client	O
called	O
MacStar	O
,	O
released	O
by	O
Squirrel	O
Software	O
in	O
early	O
2000	O
,	O
and	O
Rapster	O
,	O
released	O
by	O
Overcaster	O
Family	O
in	O
Brazil	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
MacStar	O
's	O
source	B-Application
code	O
paved	O
the	O
way	O
for	O
third-party	O
Napster	B-Application
clients	O
across	O
all	O
computing	O
platforms	O
,	O
giving	O
users	O
advertisement-free	O
music	O
distribution	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
13	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
they	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Napster	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
month	O
later	O
,	O
rapper	O
and	O
producer	O
Dr.	O
Dre	O
,	O
who	O
shared	O
a	O
litigator	O
and	O
legal	O
firm	O
with	O
Metallica	O
,	O
filed	O
a	O
similar	O
lawsuit	O
after	O
Napster	B-Application
refused	O
his	O
written	O
request	O
to	O
remove	O
his	O
works	O
from	O
its	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Separately	O
,	O
Metallica	O
and	O
Dr.	O
Dre	O
later	O
delivered	O
to	O
Napster	B-Application
thousands	O
of	O
usernames	O
of	O
people	O
who	O
they	O
believed	O
were	O
pirating	O
their	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2001	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
settled	O
both	O
suits	O
,	O
after	O
being	O
shut	O
down	O
by	O
the	O
Ninth	O
Circuit	O
Court	O
of	O
Appeals	O
in	O
a	O
separate	O
lawsuit	O
from	O
several	O
major	O
record	O
labels	O
(	O
see	O
below	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
Madonna	O
's	O
single	O
"	O
Music	O
"	O
was	O
leaked	O
out	O
onto	O
the	O
web	O
and	O
Napster	B-Application
prior	O
to	O
its	O
commercial	O
release	O
,	O
causing	O
widespread	O
media	O
coverage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Verified	O
Napster	B-Application
use	O
peaked	O
with	O
26.4	O
million	O
users	O
worldwide	O
in	O
February	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
the	O
American	O
musical	O
recording	O
company	O
A&M	O
Records	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
other	O
recording	O
companies	O
,	O
through	O
the	O
Recording	O
Industry	O
Association	O
of	O
America	O
(	O
RIAA	O
)	O
,	O
sued	O
Napster	B-Application
(	O
A&M	O
Records	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
v	O
.	O
Napster	B-Application
,	I-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
)	O
on	O
grounds	O
of	O
contributory	O
and	O
vicarious	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
under	O
the	O
US	O
Digital	O
Millennium	O
Copyright	O
Act	O
(	O
DMCA	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
was	O
faced	O
with	O
the	O
following	O
allegations	O
from	O
the	O
music	O
industry	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
contributory	O
infringement	O
of	O
the	O
plaintiff	O
's	O
copyrights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
vicarious	O
infringement	O
of	O
the	O
plaintiff	O
's	O
copyrights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
lost	O
the	O
case	O
in	O
the	O
District	O
Court	O
but	O
then	O
appealed	O
to	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Court	O
of	O
Appeals	O
for	O
the	O
Ninth	O
Circuit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
was	O
clear	O
that	O
Napster	B-Application
could	O
have	O
commercially	O
significant	O
non-infringing	O
uses	O
,	O
the	O
Ninth	O
Circuit	O
upheld	O
the	O
District	O
Court	O
's	O
decision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Immediately	O
after	O
,	O
the	O
District	O
Court	O
commanded	O
Napster	B-Application
to	O
keep	O
track	O
of	O
the	O
activities	O
of	O
its	O
network	O
and	O
to	O
restrict	O
access	O
to	O
infringing	O
material	O
when	O
informed	O
of	O
that	O
material	O
's	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
was	O
n't	O
able	O
to	O
comply	O
and	O
thus	O
had	O
to	O
close	O
down	O
its	O
service	O
in	O
July	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2002	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
filed	O
for	O
bankruptcy	O
and	O
sold	O
its	O
assets	O
to	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
2018	O
Rolling	O
Stone	O
article	O
,	O
Kirk	O
Hammett	O
of	O
Metallica	O
upheld	O
the	O
band	O
's	O
opinion	O
that	O
suing	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
the	O
"	O
right	O
"	O
thing	O
to	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
the	O
accusations	O
that	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
hurting	O
the	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
record	O
industry	O
,	O
some	O
felt	O
just	O
the	O
opposite	O
,	O
that	O
file	O
trading	O
on	O
Napster	B-Application
stimulated	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
hurt	O
,	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
evidence	O
may	O
have	O
come	O
in	O
July	O
2000	O
when	O
tracks	O
from	O
English	O
rock	O
band	O
Radiohead	O
's	O
album	O
Kid	O
A	O
found	O
their	O
way	O
to	O
Napster	B-Application
three	O
months	O
before	O
the	O
album	O
's	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Richard	O
Menta	O
of	O
MP3	B-Application
Newswire	O
,	O
the	O
effect	O
of	O
Napster	B-Application
in	O
this	O
instance	O
was	O
isolated	O
from	O
other	O
elements	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
credited	O
for	O
driving	O
sales	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
album	O
's	O
unexpected	O
success	O
suggested	O
that	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
a	O
good	O
promotional	O
tool	O
for	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2000	O
,	O
many	O
musical	O
artists	O
,	O
particularly	O
those	O
not	O
signed	O
to	O
major	O
labels	O
and	O
without	O
access	O
to	O
traditional	O
mass	O
media	O
outlets	O
such	O
as	O
radio	O
and	O
television	O
,	O
have	O
said	O
that	O
Napster	B-Application
and	O
successive	O
Internet	O
file-sharing	O
networks	O
have	O
helped	O
get	O
their	O
music	O
heard	O
,	O
spread	O
word	O
of	O
mouth	O
,	O
and	O
may	O
have	O
improved	O
their	O
sales	O
in	O
the	O
long	O
term	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
such	O
musician	O
to	O
publicly	O
defend	O
Napster	B-Application
as	O
a	O
promotional	O
tool	O
for	O
independent	O
artists	O
was	O
DJ	O
Xealot	O
,	O
who	O
became	O
directly	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
2000	O
A&M	O
Records	O
Lawsuit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chuck	O
D	O
from	O
Public	O
Enemy	O
also	O
came	O
out	O
and	O
publicly	O
supported	O
Napster	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
's	O
facilitation	O
of	O
the	O
transfer	O
of	O
copyrighted	O
material	O
raised	O
the	O
ire	O
of	O
the	O
Recording	O
Industry	O
Association	O
of	O
America	O
(	O
RIAA	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
almost	O
immediately	O
—	O
on	O
December	O
6	O
,	O
1999	O
—	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
the	O
popular	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
would	O
only	O
get	O
bigger	O
as	O
the	O
trial	O
,	O
meant	O
to	O
shut	O
down	O
Napster	B-Application
,	O
also	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
great	O
deal	O
of	O
publicity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
failed	O
appeal	O
to	O
the	O
Ninth	O
Circuit	O
Court	O
,	O
an	O
injunction	O
was	O
issued	O
on	O
March	O
5	O
,	O
2001	O
ordering	O
Napster	B-Application
to	O
prevent	O
the	O
trading	O
of	O
copyrighted	O
music	O
on	O
its	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lawrence	O
Lessig	O
claimed	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
that	O
this	O
decision	O
made	O
little	O
sense	O
from	O
the	O
perspective	O
of	O
copyright	O
protection	O
:	O
"	O
When	O
Napster	B-Application
told	O
the	O
district	O
court	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
developed	O
a	O
technology	O
to	O
block	O
the	O
transfer	O
of	O
99.4	O
percent	O
of	O
identified	O
infringing	O
material	O
,	O
the	O
district	O
court	O
told	O
counsel	O
for	O
Napster	B-Application
99.4	O
percent	O
was	O
not	O
good	O
enough	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
had	O
to	O
push	O
the	O
infringements	O
'	O
down	O
to	O
zero.	O
'	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
shut	O
down	O
its	O
entire	O
network	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
the	O
injunction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
agreed	O
to	O
pay	O
music	O
creators	O
and	O
copyright	O
owners	O
a	O
$26	O
million	O
settlement	O
for	O
past	O
,	O
unauthorized	O
uses	O
of	O
music	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
an	O
advance	O
against	O
future	O
licensing	O
royalties	O
of	O
$10	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
pay	O
those	O
fees	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
attempted	O
to	O
convert	O
its	O
free	O
service	O
into	O
a	O
subscription	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
traffic	O
to	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
reduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
prototype	O
solution	O
was	O
tested	O
in	O
2002	O
:	O
the	O
Napster	B-Application
3.0	O
Alpha	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
"	O
.nap	O
"	O
secure	O
file	O
format	O
from	O
PlayMedia	O
Systems	O
and	O
audio	O
fingerprinting	O
technology	O
licensed	O
from	O
Relatable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
3.0	O
was	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
many	O
former	O
Napster	B-Application
employees	O
,	O
ready	O
to	O
deploy	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
had	O
significant	O
trouble	O
obtaining	O
licenses	O
to	O
distribute	O
major-label	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
17	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
its	O
assets	O
would	O
be	O
acquired	O
by	O
German	O
media	O
firm	O
Bertelsmann	O
for	O
$85	O
million	O
to	O
transform	O
Napster	B-Application
into	O
an	O
online	O
music	O
subscription	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
companies	O
had	O
been	O
collaborating	O
since	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
2000	O
where	O
Bertelsmann	O
became	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
label	O
to	O
drop	O
its	O
copyright	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Napster	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pursuant	O
to	O
the	O
terms	O
of	O
the	O
acquisition	O
agreement	O
,	O
on	O
June	O
3	O
Napster	B-Application
filed	O
for	O
Chapter	O
11	O
protection	O
under	O
United	O
States	O
bankruptcy	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
3	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
an	O
American	O
bankruptcy	O
judge	O
blocked	O
the	O
sale	O
to	O
Bertelsmann	O
and	O
forced	O
Napster	B-Application
to	O
liquidate	O
its	O
assets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Napster	B-Application
's	O
brand	O
and	O
logos	O
were	O
acquired	O
at	O
a	O
bankruptcy	O
auction	O
by	O
Roxio	O
which	O
used	O
them	O
to	O
re-brand	O
the	O
Pressplay	O
music	O
service	O
as	O
Napster	B-Application
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2008	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
purchased	O
by	O
US	O
electronics	O
retailer	O
Best	O
Buy	O
for	O
the	O
US	O
$121	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
pursuant	O
to	O
a	O
deal	O
with	O
Best	O
Buy	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
merged	O
with	O
Rhapsody	O
,	O
with	O
Best	O
Buy	O
receiving	O
a	O
minority	O
stake	O
in	O
Rhapsody	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
14	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Rhapsody	O
phased	O
out	O
the	O
Rhapsody	O
brand	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Napster	B-Application
and	O
has	O
since	O
branded	O
its	O
service	O
internationally	O
as	O
Napster	B-Application
and	O
expanded	O
toward	O
other	O
markets	O
by	O
providing	O
music	O
on-demand	O
as	O
a	O
service	O
to	O
other	O
brands	O
like	O
the	O
iHeartRadio	O
app	O
and	O
their	O
All	O
Access	O
music	O
subscription	O
service	O
that	O
provides	O
subscribers	O
with	O
an	O
on-demand	O
music	O
experience	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
premium	O
radio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
25	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
sold	O
to	O
virtual	O
reality	O
concerts	O
company	O
MelodyVR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
10	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Napster	B-Application
was	O
sold	O
to	O
Hivemind	O
and	O
Algorand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
have	O
been	O
several	O
books	O
that	O
document	O
the	O
experiences	O
of	O
people	O
working	O
at	O
Napster	B-Application
,	O
including	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2003	O
film	O
The	O
Italian	O
Job	O
features	O
Napster	B-Application
co-founder	O
Shawn	O
Fanning	O
as	O
a	O
cameo	O
of	O
himself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
gave	O
credence	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
fictional	O
back-story	O
as	O
the	O
original	O
"	O
Napster	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2010	O
film	O
The	O
Social	O
Network	O
features	O
Napster	B-Application
co-founder	O
Sean	O
Parker	O
(	O
played	O
by	O
Justin	O
Timberlake	O
)	O
in	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
the	O
popular	O
website	O
Facebook	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
2013	O
film	O
Downloaded	O
is	O
a	O
documentary	O
about	O
sharing	O
media	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
and	O
includes	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
Napster	B-Application
.	O
</s>
