As the success of digital music services like Apple Computer’s iTunes and Napster puts new pressure on corporate and other private computer networks, a generation of tools is springing up to control the software. On Tuesday, network traffic management company Packeteer released an upgrade to its software that would allow network administrators to identify and control the use of these …

A San Francisco federal judge last week moved the venue for SBC Communications’ lawsuit against the recording industry’s file-swapping legal strategy, a potentially significant victory for record labels. The decision, which was released late last Wednesday, transfers a closely watched legal battle over the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) dragnet for online music traders to courts in the nation’s …

Shortly after buying the MP3.com domain name and announcing that its sprawling music archive would close, CNET Networks said Wednesday it will start its own free service for independent musicians online. MP3.com’s existing database, which contains more than 1 million songs, largely from unsigned and independent musicians, will be shut down Dec. 2. But CNET said it will create a …