What file-sharing service did Metallica sue in 2000?

In 2000, Metallica sued the file-sharing service Napster. The band filed the lawsuit on April 13, 2000, arguing that Napster enabled unauthorized distribution of copyrighted music.

The dispute began after Metallica discovered that a demo of “I Disappear,” intended for the Mission: Impossible II soundtrack, was circulating online and being played on radio stations before its official release. The band also found its broader catalog available through Napster’s peer-to-peer network.

The case became a defining early conflict in the digital-music era. Drummer Lars Ulrich testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and Metallica supplied Napster with a list of users it alleged were sharing the band’s songs. The dispute is often confused with later lawsuits involving services such as LimeWire or Kazaa, but Napster was the service at the center of Metallica’s 2000 case.

A settlement followed in 2001, and Napster was eventually forced to shut down its original service.