Prince

Apparently, pop star PRINCE abruptly shut down his official website last week without giving fans any advance notice. Allegedly, an email was sent to website subscribers after NPGMusicClub.com had shut down, stating it has decided to "put the club on hiatus until further notice". The announcement went on to say, "NPGMC has gone as far as it can go." The email ended with, "The future holds nothing but endless opportunity and we plan on seizing it wholeheartedly. Don't u want to come?" According to TMZ.com, the site's closure could be related to a copyright dispute. Prince filed for a trademark on the name NPG Music Club last year (05). An opposition was filed against the claim by HM Publishers Holding Limited, which owns the Nature Publishing Group, also known as NPG. The opposition was filed the same day the singers website was shut down. An attorney for Prince's company, Paisley Park Enterprises, insists that the two incidents are not related, and that the "opposition will be resolved shortly". The pop star was the first major artist to release an entire album - 1997's CRYSTAL BALL - exclusively on the web. He was honored last month (JUN06) with a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for his innovative use of the internet.