At the core of Napster's proposed subscription model is an idea so simple the record companies should fall all over themselves adopting it: Make other people pay for millions of dollars in costs the labels pick up today.
Facing the prospect of a post-Napster world, tension is starting to build between copyright holders and ISPs over who should police other file-swapping networks that are poised to step in as replacements.
Record companies have joined the movie industry in trying to root out post-Napster file trading, putting new pressure on ISPs to clamp down on subscribers' actions.
As Napster's heyday fades into Internet mythology, its influence is being etched in an increasingly tense game of cops and robbers that has Internet service providers caught in the crossfire.
The Recording Industry Association of America has dropped a contentious lawsuit against major Internet service and network companies that sought their help in shutting down communications to a China-based music copying site.
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