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RSS feedsVivendi Universal, one of the record companies involved in the court case against Napster, has said it will consider a subscription-based link-up with the MP3 file swapping service.
The music group would consider a catalogue licensing deal if Napster could protect its intellectual property rights, said Jean-Marie Messier, chief executive of Vivendi.
The news comes after Universal and Sony announced plans last month to develop their own Napster-style subscription service called Duet.
As Computing went to press Napster had been given three days to restrict users' access to copyright protected material.
Record labels involved in the three-day time limit gave Napster a list of artists and songs to be blocked. Napster said it will try to comply, but its file-filtering system is not completely accurate.
"It's a complex technological solution which is very taxing to the system. It will result in the exclusion of many files which are authorised as opposed to unauthorised," said a statement on Napster's website.
The wave of litigation against Napster looks set to continue after the organisers of the Grammy Awards announced that they are now seeking millions of dollars in compensation after a duet between Elton John and rap star Eminem at the award ceremony became available on Napster.
The organisers claim that the track's availability will damage demand for a commercial release.
Despite the success of the US court action against Napster, it seems as if the battle for online copyright protection has only just begun.
Last week AOL was found liable for infringement of copyright law in Germany. The case, brought by Midi (musical instrument digital interface) files manufacturer Hit Bit, alleged that an online music forum subsidiary of AOL allowed unlicensed files to be exchanged. Midi allows communication between digital musical instruments.
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Napster, the website, was built as a central host for users wishing to swap MP3 music files. It has sparked an almighty legal battle over its legitamacy and has changed the way people obtain music. 01 May 2001
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