Indiana University Follows Suit, Blocks Napster

UPDATED - Indiana University has made the choice to block Napster once again, after Metallica filed suit against the university last week on charges of facilitating the illegal distribution of the band's music. This comes as no surprise, as Technology Policy Officer Mark Bruhn told students last week that if necessary, there would be no hesitation on the part of Indiana to block the program again.

In an apparent effort to protect the students at the university, IU Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations Christopher Simpson stated "We believe Indiana University has no liability by allowing access to sites such as Napster. We now believe, however, that our faculty, staff and students could incur legal exposure if they use this technology. Until those unresolved legal issues are clarified, it seems prudent to block the site."

He then went on to state "University policy prohibits violation of copyright laws, and we believe strongly in protecting intellectual property. Those are fundamental tenets that we will not abandon," although he hopes that all parties involved can soon reach a long term solution to this ongoing problem.

Mr. Simpson told BetaNews, "We always have to remember that we are in the education business, and straying too far from our core mission sometimes is not in our best interest." Concerning a long term solution to the problem, he responded by saying that he was not sure if the university would take the lead in this ongoing battle to "allow access to digital music while protecting copyright issues."

Indiana University took the lead earlier this year in building new technology to satisfy both the bandwidth issues, and the students in allowing them to access Napster. With the recent trend of lawsuits and courtroom battles the coming weeks could see the end of Napster, while an army of clones and more advanced protocols such as Gnutella have worked their way up the ranks to gain popularity with students and netizens alike.

Indiana University blocked Napster in early February due to bandwidth issues at the school, then moved to reinstate the software after working closely with engineers at the San Francisco-based Napster company to develop a new search method for finding MP3s. After concerns developed when Metallica filed suit against Indiana University, as well as Yale, University of Southern California, several students, and Napster, the university began careful reconsideration of their policy.

When Yale banned the use of Napster on its campus yesterday, it was only a question of when Indiana would follow suit and block access to the program. The question was answered late this afternoon as the announcement was made. There has been no word yet as to Indiana would still be involved in the lawsuit with Metallica, but based on previous experience, an announcement that IU has been dropped from the suit is expected in the next few days.

Keep checking back as this continuing saga and the fate of Napster across college campuses nationwide unfolds.