Microsoft don't fear Napster, they fear Fraunhofer. Windows users using Napster aren't paying anyone anything; Windows users using licensed MP3 codecs are (in theory) paying licensing money to patent holders Fraunhofer, and that's what irks Microsoft. The moment Microsoft can get away with shipping a Windows Media Player that doesn't require them handing over some of their Windows revenue to Fraunhofer, that's exactly what they'll do.

He who lives by the sword (the software patent, in this case) dies by the sword.

Of course, despite its name, an empeg is perfectly happy with Microsoft's beloved WMA files as well as with MP3s.

Peter