Internet music-file sharing news roundup: Scour contracts, MP3.com to be assessed damages, Napster suit appeal nears hearing.

Unfortunately, the way American courts have been ruling against

Internet technology recently doesn’t bode too well for Scour’s future,

even if it wasn’t having money problems. It’s unclear whether Napster

will be able to get Judge Patel’s harsh decision overturned on appeal,

even if the Appeals court actually listens to its arguments and allows its

evidence into the record this time (unlike Judge Patel). MP3.com is

probably going to get its hands slapped pretty harshly this week,

meaning it will have to spend even more money than it already has on

the other four settlements it worked out. Plus, I’m hoping that

MP3.com’s cave-in to the record companies that allows them to now

send spammy e-mail to MP3.com users will drive people away from the

MP3.com service completely. Put all this together with the recent

decision against DeCSS and 2600.com and you’ve got a legal climate in

America that is so anti-Internet file/knowledge sharing that even a

deaf, dumb, and blind investor knows to stay away from this for a

while. Geek.com