Napster blocks songs, sort of

Napster has instituted filters that are somewhat effective in blocking access to some songs on the file-sharing network. A Napster spokeswoman reported that filters were put in place late Sunday night, California time. She also reported that over 6,000 songs specifically named by the Recording Industry Association of America, including titles from Billboard and other charts, weren't yet filtered. Users were already changing titles of filtered song to defeat the technology.

In related news, the Canadian creator of Fairtunes.com, designed to provide Napster users a mechanism for directly compensating artists, has announced that he will collect ten US dollars each from 1,500 "irate Napster users" to set up an offshore server outside the reach of the RIAA. Reports say Matt Goyer would establish his service on Sealand, an oil platform 6 miles off England. which claims independence and now hosts online businesses.

For more information, read news.com, newsBytes.com and bbc.co.uk. The offshore story is at news.com.