Universal Music Sues MySpace

Grooves writes "Universal Music is suing MySpace for copyright infringement. Universal threatened to sue YouTube before the Google acquisition was announced, so now it looks like they have moved on to the next target. Ars speculates that Universal is really after a piece of the action. 'On the morning of the Google-YouTube deal, Universal — along with Sony BMG and CBS — signed a licensing agreement with YouTube. If MySpace were to sign a similar agreement with the label, there is little doubt that the lawsuit would disappear.'"

Comments

Extortion

[anubi]

Looking at all these Slashdot reports of suing, it looks like this is the standard practice of corporate extortion.

This way, the "barriers to entry" can be set to any level the more powerful entity desires, so they can maintain their monopoly.

Smaller companies simply do not have the financial stamina to fend off litigation attacks like this.

The strongest ( most well funded ) entities will do well under such a system.

The rest of us... well... better do it in another country.

Just sue the Internet

[Ryan Mallon]

Universal Music, RIAA, etc should stop thinking so small. All this pirated, or copyright infringing content is on the Internet right? Why not just sue the Internet and get it over with ;-).

circumvention of our legal system

[benicillin]

the most interesting thing about these pre-suing agreements that have been arranged (ie. the youtube payout) is that these companies are circumventing the legal system. originally you have a legal battle that ends in a decision. then we started seeing one company sue another but settle out of court (so that no decision on the issue could be rendered by the judicial system.) now we are simply seeing arrangements made before anyone sues, the grandest way of avoiding any real legal decision on the issue. very interesting how they work things out without even deciding if they fall within the laws of the country. we'll never know if it's any kind of infringement, cause they'll never get to court in the first place.