Bertelsmann talks about Napster ruled private

Bertelsmann, Europe’s largest media company, doesn’t have to disclose its communications with lawyers in its legal fight with record companies over its ties to Los Angeles-based music downloading service Napster Inc., a court said.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled that companies including EMI Group, the third-largest record company, didn’t prove a fraud that would override lawyer-client confidentiality. The companies sought information on legal work behind what they called a sham $50-million loan by Bertelsmann to Napster in 2000.