] Two major record labels filed suit Monday against
] venture capital firm Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
] for its investment in Napster, alleging that it
] contributed to rampant music theft through the former
] file-swapping network.

Universal and EMI on the attack..

] Legal efforts by the recording industry and music
] publishers essentially crushed Napster two years ago. But
] now the music industry is seeking punitive damages from
] Napster backers, in a move that could portend further
] suits targeting assets of companies that back independent
] file-swapping services.
]
] "Businesses (as well as those individuals or entities who
] control them) premised on massive copyright infringement
] of works created by artists, should face the legal
] consequences for their actions," said a joint statement
] from the two record labels.

"And the countries that harbor them.." ?? Maybe more like, "Anything we can do to make it harder to find funding for innovation that may turn out to be distruptive to our bottom line.." I sense a really big heaping dose of "you are either with us or against us" retoric slithering its way into the ongoing War on Technology.