What is copyright?

Metallica and other bands make some of their money through the sale of their recordings. They own the copyright, and they agree to let people hear their music for a set price. Web sites like Napster punched holes in the normal sales process, enabling people to download and listen to recordings for free.

While this was good for the fans who no longer had to buy recordings, it was bad for band members' pockets.

Copyright is a way to balance the conflicting needs of creators and users. Creators, such as band members, need to earn a living from their products, but other people such as students, researchers or fans need to have reasonable access to these products. 

Copyright is also a form of intellectual property.

Reproduction or copy—what is the difference?

Photocopying a page or dubbing a tape is making a copy. The material is still in the same format.

Scanning a page for a web site or building a house from a plan is making a reproduction. The material appears in a different format.

Practice

Conduct a search using InfoTrac OneFile to find at least two articles about the Metallica v Napster copyright story.