Los Angeles, Apr 24: Angered by the widespread practice of unauthorised copying of music on the Internet made popular by Napster, two record labels have now aimed their legal fire at the venture capitalists who once backed the now-defunct song-swapping service. Vivendi Universal's Universal Music and EMI Group filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against San Francisco-based Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and two of its partners, Hank Barry and John Hummer, in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday.

The National Venture Capital Association, which represents early-stage investors, cautioned that the lawsuit could have a chilling effect on investment in unproven technologies to the detriment of economic growth.
The lawsuit alleges Hummer Winblad, through a $13 million investment in May 2000 and its management roles contributed to unauthorized copying of digital music by tens of millions of users who were drawn to the Napster service.
Barry served as Napster's chief executive for more than a year, and both men were members of Napster's board. Bureau Report