Judge squashes sale of site

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Delaware bankruptcy judge Tuesday blocked the sale of Napster to its chief investor, Bertelsmann AG, killing a deal that might have revived the song-swapping service as a legitimate business.\nJudge Peter J. Walsh issued the ruling in Wilmington, Del.\nBertelsmann had sought to purchase the remains of the defunct Napster network for an additional $8 million after sinking $85 million into the company to keep it afloat. Napster has been off line for more than a year.\nCopyright-infringement lawsuits by several major record labels effectively destroyed Napster. Those record companies also vigorously objected to the sale of the company to Bertelsmann, the German media giant.