SAN FRANCISCO - The record industry must provide documented proof it owns copyrights to scores of popular music works it seeks to protect in its lawsuit against Napster, a federal judge ruled in an order released Friday. <br>
<br>
U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel also appointed an expert to review the documents, which officials for the recording industry's trade group say they are ready to provide. <br>
<br>
The record labels are seeking damages from the once-popular online file-sharing network for allowing the copyright songs to be trafficked. <br>
<br>
The judge also opened the door to legal discovery on Napster's claims that the labels misused their copyrights to dominate the growing online music distribution industry. <br>
<br>
Napster said both rulings were significant victories for the embattled company, which has been offline since July. <br>
<br>
``We are pleased that the court granted Napster's request to examine two critical issues: the record companies' ownership of artists' copyrights and anticompetitive behavior that amounts to misuse of their copyrights,'' Napster general counsel Jonathan Schwartz said in a statement. <br>
<br>
Cary Sherman, general counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America said Napsters allegations of misuse are without merit, which will be confirmed through the ordered discovery. <br>
<br>
``We look forward to providing the court with evidence to refute Napster's claims,'' Sherman said in a statement.
