Judge Orders Injunction for Napster

Wednesday, July 26th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) â€” A federal judge shut down the trading of copyrighted music on Napster Inc. on Wednesday, saying the online company was encouraging ``wholesale infringing'' against the music industry.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel noted that 70 million people are expected to be using Napster by year's end and said ``what lures them is the infringing use.''

Patel said the injunction will go into effect at 4 p.m. Friday.

The Recording Industry Association of America sued Napster in December, accusing the San Mateo, Calif.-based company of encouraging an unrestrained, illegal, online bazaar.

Napster argued that personal copying of music is protected by federal law.