Napster Retains Lawyer in Microsoft Case

Napster Inc., the software maker embroiled in litigation against the record industry, said it has retained David Boies, the U.S. government’s lead counsel in its antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. The New York-based lawyer with Boies, Schiller & Flexner said in a statement that the Napster case “raises important questions of how the copyright laws are to be applied to this new medium.” Napster’s legal foes include the Recording Industry Assn. of America and music artists Metallica and Dr. Dre. A hearing is set next month in San Francisco to decide whether Napster will be allowed to continue to operate while the RIAA trial is pending.