Napster: The Story Behind the Controversy
Abstract
Napster and the peer-to-peer technology it introduced to mainstream America have changed the way people communicate on the Internet and have forced careful consideration of the future of copyright law and its interpretation in the United States. This paper presents a historical background of Napster, an explanation of the technology that made it controversial, the differing views of artists affected by the site, and why Napster has quite possibly changed forever the fate of copyright law. While Napster itself has been shut down, itserves as an important example of how changing technology is forcing a reevaluation and reformulation of related law.Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
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