Metallica's Napster Lawsuit in 2000 Was Necessary, Band's Lawyer Explains Why

Metallica's Napster lawsuit remains a buzz in the music industry decades after it happened.

Metallica launched the infamous legal battle against Napster in 2000. The peer-to-peer music-sharing application was created by a man named Shawn Fanning, and it allowed people to share MP3 files on computers connected to the service.

The creation of the platform led to the leaked recording track of Metallica's song for "Mission: Impossible 2," titled, "I Disappear."

Decades after the lawsuit ended, the band's lawyer revealed why it was necessary for them to take legal action.

Metallica VS Napster Lawsuit 'Set the Ground Rules'

In an interview with Variety, veteran music attorney Peter Paterno said the legal action was "fair." He has been working with Metallica since the early 1980s.

According to the lawyer, the lawsuit was appropriate since Napster and the users were basically thieves.

"People were getting music for free. It was really necessary in order to set the ground rules for what music is worth," he said. "Those fans aren't fans - fans pay for music and appreciate its value. It's like Dre said when we told him about Napster. 'I work 24/7 in the lab and these guys just steal it? Scr**w them.'"

Napster's operation began in June 1999 when Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker launched the internet software to obtain MP3 collections. Once shared, people could access the music library freely.

Metallica became the main villain of the story, however, as the 2000 lawsuit attempted to block over 300,000 users who got the songs on Napster. The "Mission: Impossible 2" soundtrack was leaked to 20 radio stations across the US before its official release.

What was worse is that Metallica's full discography became accessible on Napster, as well.

The initial lawsuit named the University of Southern California, Yale University and Indiana University, due to "copyright infringements, unlawful use of digital audio interface device and violations of the Racketeering Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)."

Metallica Left Dismayed After the Leak

To fight for music rights, Metallica's representatives compiled the 60,000-page list of the 300,000 Napster user IDs after Napster pledged to terminate the users who trade material without permission.

Lars Ulrich sat for an interview with The Huffington Post in 2013 and revealed that they found out about it through a phone call.

After the incident, Metallica issued a press release expressing its disapproval of the trafficking of stolen goods, saying that the members went through a grueling creative process but ended up having their music leaked.

Napster settled with Metallica and other parties before it announced bankruptcy in 2002.