A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Napster, the free music-swapping Web site, can be held liable when its users download copyrighted information. This ruling was a huge blow to Napster and may lead to the company’s demise.While this ruling may seem harsh to college students who frequent Napster, it was not unexpected.Napster’s popularity in the United States doesn’t change the fact that it is stealing. The actions of Napster and its users violated copyrights, which are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.Supporters of Napster speak of free enterprise, injustice to artists and big record labels that think with their pocketbooks. But the real reason people don’t want Napster shut down is because it inconveniences them.Copyright is an important safeguard in the United States, and it is worth protecting — in ALL cases, including major record labels.Still, no matter how hard the recording industry fights against companies like Napster, people will always download free copyrighted music.Technologies such as Gnutella and Freenet will cause even more problems than Napster for the recording industry. Napster ran on a central database; these softwares do not, so they are impossible to track.Free copyrighted material is not a revolutionary idea. Every new medium brings the potential for copyright infringement. Before the Internet, people could record copyrighted movies and television programs on VCRs and record copyrighted music from the radio. So, never fear. The American public will find a way around this current crisis.Copyright holders will continue to fight — and win — against those who break the law, but the battle will be long and hard. Eventually a day will come when Internet laws and safeguards prevent people from violating copyright laws, and the battle will be over.editorialboard: Carrie Tett, Greg Jerrett, Katie Goldsmith, Andrea Hauser and Jocelyn Marcus