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Reminder — Running Napster on Lab Equipment Violates LBNL Policies

Using Napster, the controversial software for sharing music over the Internet, on either Lab computers or networks is a violation of Lab policy on using significant amounts of government resources for unauthorized personal use. There are also legal issues as the sharing of many music files through Napster violates copyright laws.

Napster works by having subscribers download the Napster client on their computers. The client then allows users to search the Internet for song titles. Napster does this by checking each subscriber's machine for the title, then retrieving and downloading the first one found. As a result, each user's computer is regularly accessed by many other users, and imposes a large burden on networks.

There are other problems, too. According to an article in the July 13 issue of PC World magazine. "By allowing users to share files easily, Napster threatens network security. In addition, Napster use often violates company policies, since many firms prohibit personal use of office computers. Lawsuits are another risk to employers, since the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) claims that Napster facilitates copyright violations. The RIAA is pushing a federal court to shut Napster down, and the court will hold a hearing on July 26."