The Internet song-sharing service Napster recently announced that it has resolved the long, contentious battle with heavy rock band Metallica and hip-hop legend Dr. Dre, according to CNN.com.

A flicker of good news for Napster, the settlement was the result of a series of federal court rulings placing heavy restrictions on the service. The U.S. court also agreed with music industry plaintiffs that the service violated copyright laws, CNN.com reports.

According to CNN.com, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said that the settlement would create the kind of protection artists have sought from Napster.

Matt Taets, senior in graphic design, says he has never used Napster, but is not against the concept behind it.

“I like to have the album in its original form that displays the art and graphic design work. A lot of time goes into placing the order of the songs to that the music will flow nice together,” he says.

Taets adds that having actual albums and CDs, instead of files on a computer, adds to the nostalgia of owning music, since the owner can keep the cover and case as a piece of music history.

Hope Wells, freshman in art and design, was a frequent Napster user. Since Napster was shut down on July 2, Wells says she has found other ways to get free music, such as Web sites like Audiogalaxy.com and WinMix.com.

One idea proposed for Napster is for users to pay a monthly fee to download audio files. This suggestion has met mixed reactions.

Taets says the monthly payment could work.

“It might make people feel a little better about using Napster, they aren’t just stealing music [if they paid a monthly fee],” he says.

On the other hand, Wells says there are plenty of other ways to get free music.

“Downloading music off the Internet is like recording a song off the radio,” she says. “I will not pay a monthly fee for use, I will just go to other sites to get what I need.”

Until the details of the new fee plan are finalized, a heavier judicial order was placed on Napster. As reported by CNN.com, the music distribution network could not remain online until its filters are 100 percent effective.

Napster officials said they would appeal the decision.