Word: napstered
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File-swapping, like rock 'n' roll, may never die, but Napster - and the copyright law that's killing it - is in serious trouble...
...Displaying the judicial impatience usually provoked by recalcitrant technology companies, Judge Marilyn H. Patel on Tuesday gave Napster 72 hours to put up - with a filter that actually works - or be shut down...
...Because the name of this game is customer base - the size of a swap meet being its primary virtue - Napster will do what it takes to beat the gavel and stay alive as a brand and as a destination. And with 60-odd million registered users, Napster is heading into purgatory with a pretty strong hand. But technophile record collectors don't seem the kind of folks to hang around patiently until June just so BMG can start taking their money. Not when there's free milk to be had elsewhere...
...Because file-swapping, like nature, seems destined to always find a way. Because decentralized operations like Aimster, BearShare and Gnutella don't have Napster's tragic flaw - those 12 central servers - they're legally bulletproof...
...Minimum number of subscribers needed to earn $1 billion if Napster charges a proposed $9.95 fee for unlimited downloads...