Napster Stopped in Its Tracks Music & MP37/27/2000; 8:53:35 AM 'A federal judge today has ordered the company to stop assisting its users in the downloading of copyrighted music, a broad if surprisingly sudden decision that the popular MP3-swapping startup said would effectively shut down its service. The company vowed to appeal the decision immediately.'This is disappointing. While I don't know how the trial was going to be ruled, I thought the brief would have been enough to stop this on some perfectly legitimate grounds. In particular, I was under the impression that if some injunction would destroy a business, it could not be given. RIAA may have won this round, but they may have opened themselves up if they don't end up winning the trial to some stiff reparations if the injunction is later overturned. The stakes just went up, for both sides.'At today's hearing and in legal briefs, Napster has fallen back on a host of defenses.... Patel soundly rejected each argument, saying that none applied to Napster, whose primary purpose was to assist its users in finding and downloading copyrighted music. "You can hardly stand back and say, 'Gee, I didn't know all that stuff was ... infringing,' " Patel scolded Napster's counsel at one point. She also appeared unsympathetic to Boies' contention that an injunction essentially would shut down the fledgling service because it was impossible to know which of the songs it indexes are copyrighted. "That is the system that's been created, and I think you're stuck with the consequences of that," she said.'If Napster couldn't even stop the business-killing injunction, this case is over. This judge has already ruled. Prepare your appeal. (iRights coverage about the legal briefs filed to block the injunction.)