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A pseudonymous hacker has launched a Web graffiti spree, defacing Web sites ranging from NASA to the Communications Workers of America with a pro-Napster message.

The pranks come after a court ruling that could force another online music service, MP3.com, to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for copyright infringement.

The hacker, who goes by the name "Pimpshiz," claimed 50 victim sites in a posting that included a screed lambasting the recording industry for its lawsuit against Napster, a popular music-swapping site.

"The (Recording Industry Association of America) does not represent your favorite music artists," the hacker wrote on Palminfocenter.com, one of the apparent victims of the attacks. "They represent rich record executives. These are the fat cats who make profit from the other 95% of CD sales. All because you either wanted more money (not like you had enough to begin with, right!?) or because you wanted publicity."

In an email interview, Pimpshiz claimed to have defaced 110 sites with the message in four separate rounds of attacks--using an unpublished hole in Microsoft Windows NT to infiltrate the Web servers. The hacker promised a "huge episode 5" soon