iTunes Chart-Toppers (a/o February 21st):
(The following is a developing story based on legal filings obtained over the weekend. More details are emerging, though the parties are mostly quiet at this stage.)
Grooveshark settled a major lawsuit involving EMI Group in October of last year. That development ostensibly paved the way for similar settlements with other majors, though another filing - this time from Universal Music Group - surfaced over the weekend. The state-based complaint, filed with the the Supreme Court of the State of New York (County of New York), specifically involves pre-1972 works controlled by UMG Recordings. The suit names Grooveshark owner Escape Media, based in Gainesville, Florida.
The pre-1972 catalog spans Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Carpenters, The Who, and Marvin Gaye, among others. "Through [grooveshark.com], defendant infringes UMG's pre-1972 recordings by, among other things, reproducing and storing these copyrighted sound recordings on its own servers as part of its extensive catalog of infringing music and then distributing copies of those recordings to the users of that website," the complaint notes.
This
is not a federal action, though a broader legal campaign could be
underway. "UMG seeks redress in this litigation only for Pre-1972
Recordings," the New York filing states. "Pre-1972 Recordings are
subject to protection exclusively under state law (including the
law of the State of New York) and are not subject to or governed by the federal Copyright Act."
More details as they emerge. A copy of the filing can be found here.
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