The Offspring bootlegs Napster

June 6, 2000: The Offspring, a band that have been some of the most outspoken supporters of Napster, started to sell Napster merchandise (t-shirts with Napster's logo) at their official website without the Napster Inc. permission last Wednesday night (May 31st).

Napster is a popular software program that links its online users, and allows them to search one's another MP3s easily, and it have been the reason of a bigger transfer os music files (MP3s) lately.

"It's all fair," said a source close to the band to SonicNet, and who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We've already said you guys [can use] our stuff - we're gonna do yours, too. You shouldn't have any problem with that, should you?"

Napster spokesperson Tracy Mlakar said she was unaware of the sales. There wasn't a representative from the company available to discuss the situation at the moment, she said.

"The Offspring view MP3 technology and programs such as Napster as being a vital and necessary means to promote music and foster better relationships with our fans," reads a statement on their website.

The Napster logo and name are trademarks owned by the company, and may not be used by other parties, according to the Napster website (www.napster.com).

"It would be very interesting if they would go, 'We're going to send them a cease and desist [order],' " said the source. " 'Cause it would all of a sudden expose a huge hypocrisy.

"Or, it would really, really be interesting if all of a sudden they say, 'We think that's cool. We hope that more bands do that, because the more Napster T-shirts out there, the cooler it is.' Ah! [That would suggest] these guys are genuine."

Two days after that, Napster slapped The Offspring with a legal order (on June 2nd) to make them stop selling with the Napster logo imprinted.

Yesterday (Monday, June 5th), The Offspring and Napster reach an peace agreement. The two entities will work together to sell "a more complete line of Napster products" and will donate the proceeds to an as-yet-undisclosed charity, an official statement issued by Napster said.

"The Offspring have been great supporters of Napster," Napster founder Shawn Fanning, 19, said in the statement. "We are looking forward to working with them."

"T-shirts ... good," Offspring frontman Dexter Holland added to the statement, apparently a reference to the "Napster Bad" animated short, which mocks hard-rockers Metallica for their tough anti-Napster stance. In the cartoon, a caricature of Metallica singer James Hetfield grunts "Napster bad ... money good."