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By Noah Robischon
Noah Robischon
Noah Robischon
Noah Robischon is a senior writer for EW
See A through L of EW's Napster guide.

M * METALLICA The most high decibel warriors in the battle against the Big N, the band filed a yet to be settled copyright lawsuit against Napster in April, and testified before Congress last month. In June, drummer Lars Ulrich told EW, ''Sometimes I wake up in the morning and go, 'What the f--- are we doing this for?''' Many a laptop-loving rock fan would agree. Witness the Metallica-bashing websites Metallicablows.com, PayLAR$.com, and the cartoon ''Metallicops!'' on Campchaos.com

M * MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA They're up next! New technology lets Netizens shrink movies the way MP3s compress songs, meaning they can soon swap ''The Matrix'' like they do the new Britney Spears tune. The nervous MPAA has already teamed with the record labels in a copyright infringement suit against Napster clone Scour (in which megamanager Michael Ovitz is a major investor).

P * PATEL, JUDGE MARILYN HALL The San Francisco judge who delivered the harsh anti-Napster preliminary injunction on July 26 and will likely preside over the upcoming trial. Says Napster supporter Chuck D, ''If Patel was the key judge at the last turn of the century, we'd still be relying on horses and buggies and trains to get around.''

Q * QUINCY, ILLINOIS Town in which teens bearing ''We Heart Napster'' posters held a vigil outside a Sam Goody just after the site won its court reprieve. We are not making this up.

R * RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA The major labels' trade group -- which filed the key anti-Napster lawsuit -- has the early odds on winning the trial, given Patel's pro RIAA initial ruling.

S * SETTLEMENT, AMICABLE The holy grail for Napster, which fears a total blackout. One possible compromise? Napster pays radio style licensing fees to the music labels.

S * SPINAL TAP Faux hair band behind the new site Tapster.com, which, says guitarist David St. Hubbins, ''removes the nagging element of choice from your music shopping'' by offering just one new song for download.

T * TRAFFIC Use of Napster's service nearly doubled in the hours before the court ordered shutdown, as fans scrambled to grab that rare Yo-Yo Ma recording. With Napster safe for now, everyone's gone back to downloading Sisqó.

V * VCRs In the '70s, movie companies sued to stop the sale of the gadgets, arguing they lost money when their films were taped from TV. Evidence that showbiz can survive tech revolutions like Napster.

Z * ZAPPA, DWEEZIL Not a major figure in this controversy, but we really needed a Z. And he does say he dislikes Napster: ''Ultimately, the artist is not protected and it's bad.''

(Additional reporting by Soren Baker, Tricia Johnson, Laura Morgan, and Chris Willman)

Read what Patti Smith, Chuck D, and other musicians say about Napster.

Posted Aug 04, 2000 | Order Article Reprints