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Napster already appears to have most of the market share when it comes to digital music, and now it seems that they are interested in getting involved with movies as well. So, are the rumors true? Is the possibility of downloading your favorite movies from Napster realistic, or just a crazy industry rumor? Well, it appears that the rumors do have some truth in them. Napster is indeed positioning itself to access the always-profitable movie market as well.

Recently, when he spoke at the Midem music conference in Cannes, the CEO of Napster Chris Gorog appeased the rumors by saying that his company is indeed looking into the possibility of offering movies along with music in its impressively-numbered digital music catalog. Napster is particularly interested in capturing some of the video game market. The younger video game generation has made computer gaming one of the most profitable avenues on the Internet today. Napster is interested in capturing a portion of that profitable market by making computer games a part of its digital music enterprise.

What are the possibilities of Napster offering movies and video games? It helps to consider other companies that are already in the business of offering movie download to Internet consumers. So far, there are two companies that have led the pack in online movie distribution. These are Movielink and CinemaNow. Both specialize in selling movie files to online consumers. They sell movie downloads starting at $2.99 on the web. What do the big movie studios think of all this? Movielink has been particularly successful at getting the backing of the major movie studios. Paramount Pictures, MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros. Studios currently back Movielink. CinemaNow also has some big deals with movie studios. Disney and Microsoft are two of CinemaNow’s big-name partners.

However, with new technology and new products offered on the Internet, there are always glitches and growing problems to be expected. Remember the original Napster? The site was one of the most popular in all the history of the Internet, but it raised many fundamental issues about copyright law and the power to stop certain kinds of Internet technologies and software. The same problems may initially plague the distribution of movie downloads online. Many companies and film studios are understandably concerned about the possibility of illegal movie downloading sites and illegal film distribution, including piracy. The movie industry has been cautious about approaching the Internet as a viable means of film distribution, perhaps recalling the lesson of Napster. There have already been legal troubles between the movie industry and certain sites. Sites such as eDonkey and BitTorrent operate as distribution networks that facilitate the uploading and downloading of copyrighted material. The movie industry has taken proactive steps to shutting down such sites. The Motion Picture Association of America has already filed lawsuits against known movie pirates, as well as actively pursuing the regulation of sites such as eDonkey and BitTorrent.

Even with the possibility of legal troubles and piracy, the idea of film distribution online still remains a viable one. Napster’s interest in offering movie and game downloads to their users is just another step in this direction. Many analysts agree that legal film downloads are in the horizon. With the growth of broadband Internet, the possibility of film downloads is now more viable than ever before. In fact, some statistics have recently emerged that make film downloading appear even more feasible. According to recent reports, one in every four regular Internet users report having at least one downloaded movie on their PC. This news was very encouraging for Napster and other companies interested in offering film download to consumers.