Napster was killed by court order, then seems to have risen from the grave again! A US Federal Judge issued an injunction against Napster, finding that it encourages and facilitates music piracy. The Judge effectively ruled that one-to-one non-commercial file sharing violates the law. The injunction was to have taken effect at midnight (PST) on Friday July 28, 2000. Then in a last minute stay of execution, Napster won an appeal to state its case by August 18, with RIAA's answering brief due on September 8th.

Go to Yahoo for the latest mp3 news from a range of sources:
http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/Tech/Digital_Music/

or see specific "Napster reprieve" articles from the following:

Music Industry News Network
Yahoo
Wired
BBC
Salon

see also:

Napster down? The meanings & alternatives discussed
Will Napster's shutdown cause others to take it's place?
Musicdish comments on Napster preliminary injunction ruling
Official Napster Site

...and for a laugh check out this Spinal Tap story: "Anyone for Tapster?"

"Napster's a bit complicated, really, what with all of the songs available. One of the brilliant things about Tapster is that there's only one song to choose from." Analysts agree, commenting that Tapster will likely replace Napster almost immediately. "All you do is replace the N with a T," said a UK-based source who requested anonymity.

...and don't forget GNUTELLA
the nutty Napster alternative?