The U.S. Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved a controversial proposal that would let federal prosecutors file civil lawsuits against suspected copyright infringers, with fines reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. The so-called Pirate Act has raised alarms among copyright lawyers and lobbyists for peer-to-peer companies, who have been eyeing the recording industry’s lawsuits against thousands of peer-to-peer …

Digital music provider Napster has teamed up with Best Buy to enlist new subscribers. Under the terms of the deal, announced Thursday, Best Buy will promote Napster through in-store marketing and media advertising. It will also launch a co-branded version of the music service to be sold online through Bestbuy.com. In return, Best Buy will get stock of Napster parent …

The Recording Industry Association of America launched a new round of lawsuits Tuesday against online music swappers, targeting 482 individuals around the United States. As with previous rounds of suits filed by the music industry group, the “John Doe” lawsuits come without names attached. The identities of the individuals are expected to come out through a court discovery process. The …