EMusic said that its software would automatically send a message to the Napster user who is sharing the questionable files, and give them 24 hours to remove the files from the service. If the file isn't removed, EMusic will ask Napster to block that user. If a user is found to continue to offer EMusic files after warnings, then EMusic will take the matter up with the user's own internet service provider, under terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Colony said the service was being beta tested by 10,000 customers across North America, and consumer installations would begin this week. EMI said Friday it had been approached by its German rival, Bertelsmann, with a proposal to merge the two groups' music assets.
Japan surpasses the U.S. in average days online per month.
Americans still lead in total surfing time, spending an average of 900 minutes a month connected to the Web, compared with 622 for the Japanese.