IP: NAPSTER, UNIVERSITIES SUED BY METALLICA from Educause

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Heavy-metal band Metallica has brought universities into the
legal battle over online music piracy by filing suit against
MP3-sharing software firm Napster, as well as Yale University,
the University of Southern California, and Indiana University.
Napster already faces a suit brought by the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) for facilitating copyright
violation, but universities have mostly avoided a legal challenge
over MP3s until now.  Metallica's lawsuit says Napster's business
is based on large-scale piracy, which is facilitated by
"hypocritical universities and colleges who could easily block
this insidious and ongoing thievery scheme."  U.S. Internet
companies have not yet been held liable for pirated materials on
their systems.  In the RIAA suit, Napster is seeking protection
under federal copyright laws that guard ISPs from liability for
illegal material on their systems.  A University of Southern
California attorney has commented in response to the Metallica
suit that the school serves as an ISP and is not responsible for
student Internet use. (CNet, 13 April 2000)