As a result, it has not been a viable alternative to music-sharing services like KaZaA.

Of the major record labels, only Bertelsmann has sought to build a fee-based music-sharing service - by teaming with Napster.

"The television and movie producers have learned a lesson from Napster," he said, referring to the music-sharing service that first got the attention of media companies.

It is better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting their work.

Dr. Stemmer has noted that Napster and other online music-sharing services showed that digital music could be subject to copyright laws.

Of course, YouTube has also been compared to Napster, whose music-sharing service was eventually shuttered after a series of lawsuits.

But operating Napster, or a different music-sharing service, from overseas could invite a host of complications both on business and legal fronts.

But what if Napster, or some other entity, was not interested in turning a profit and cared more about merely offering a music-sharing service?

It works with both songs from prerecorded CD's and tunes downloaded from the Internet or music-sharing services.

He also gained notoriety by topping the popularity on MP3.com - a leading music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting their work.