Last Suit Against Former Napster Settled

Mar 27, 07:22 PM

Current Headlines: The last of the major suits against the defunct music-swapping service Napster has been settled, five years after the Boston-launched service shut down.

German conglomerate Bertelsmann, which bought Napster's assets in 2002, settled a lawsuit with EMI, the last major label still in litigation with Bertelsmann over the former Napster, Variety said Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed.

Music labels and musicians sued Napster, claiming the peer-to-peer swapping service allowed its users to steal music, violating copyright laws.

The settlement doesn't necessarily mean Bertelsmann is completely finished with legal costs related to its acquisition of Napster assets, observers said; several music publishers still have complaints pending.

Bertelsmann in 2003 sold the Napster name to Roxio, which since changed its name to Napster and launched a digital fee-based musicstore in the same year. Napster is based in Los Angeles.