Why did Metallica go after Napster?
Published in Daily Trivia
In 2000, Metallica discovered that their entire catalogue was being distributed via the Napster P2P file-sharing network. The band initiated legal action against Napster. Lars Ulrich provided a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding copyright infringement on July 11, 2000. The lawsuit created a public relations nightmare. Throughout the controversy, many websites hosted cartoon parodies of band members, portraying them as selfish rock stars who were out of touch with their fans. Many longtime fans considered the band to be hypocrites, pointing out that the band had gotten their start via underground trading of bootleg recordings of their performances. Metallica's defense was that Napster was allowing free access to their back catalogue and not live bootleg recordings which the band had always encouraged.
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