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May 1999: Napster Inc. file-sharing service founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker and explodes in popularity.
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On June 1, 1999, Fanning released a preliminary beta program of Napster and soon, hundreds of college students at Northeastern were up and trading music furiously.
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April 13, 2000: Heavy metal rock group Metallica sues Napster for copyright infringement and racketeering. Rapper Dr. Dre files suit two weeks later.
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July 26, 2000: Judge Marilyn Hall Patel grants the RIAA's request for a preliminary injunction and orders Napster shut down.
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In 2002, Fanning was named to the MIT Technology Review TR100 as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35.
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Sept. 16, 2002: Spanish pornography company offers $2.4 million in stock for some of Napster's assets which boosts Napster's business to strive when it could've shut down.
