Napster™
/ˈnæpstə(r)/
/ˈnæpstər/
- an internet music service started by Shawn Fanning and others in 1999 which allowed people to share MP3 music files and in February 2001 had 13.6 million users. It was shut down in 2001 for breaking copyright laws after legal action by record companies. The service reopened but went bankrupt in 2002. It combined with a company called Rhapsody and is now run as an online music subscription service.