Having lost a legal battle with the top five music publishers, Sony, EMI, Universal, Warner and BMG, over its right to distribute music files over the Internet, MP3.com has settled with the latter two. In relation to those companies, MP3.com has gone from outlaw status to official distributor, having gained the rights to distribute the two labels' musical inventory. MP3.com stocks rose in response to the deal, though the Internet company has yet to reach an agreement with the other three music giants.

For a variety of perspectives on this deal, read bloomberg.com, thestandard.com, or news.com.