News / Business
MySpace sued by Universal Music Group
MySpace had a rough beginning to the weekend. On Friday Universal Music Group sued the social networking site claiming the Rupert Murdoch run MySpace has created an environment where “no intellectual property is safe.”
MySpace is notorious for copyright infringements amongst its users. While billing itself as a user generated site it has seen its content grow into a collection of illegally uploaded material from musicians and artists.
Universal’s suit comes on the heels of its agreement with YouTube to license its music and videos through the video sharing site. YouTube was recently purchased by Google.
MySpace has had a difficult time policing its site and millions of members. Universal’s suit claims that My Space has allowed illegal uploading of music and videos from artists such as Mariah Carey and U2.
Universal is seeking $150,000 for each illegal posting on MySpace, stating that the site has profited through advertising dollars attracted by a community of pirates. Universal’s suit claims that MySpace has built its massive following at the expense of copyrighted material. The ability to access this copyrighted material has served to build the MySpace community.
According to a statement released by Universal “Businesses that seek to trade off on our content, and the hard work of our artists and songwriters, shouldn't be free to do so without permission and without fairly compensating the content creators.”
