Two months back, Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris said that YouTube and MySpace were violating copyright laws. Following that, Universal Music went on to sue video-sharing sites Grouper and Bolt.
During then I wondered why it did not sure YouTube. The reason I cited was that maybe because it was in some kind of negotiations with YouTube, it did not sure the company. Also, it waited the outcome of the YouTube’s immediate future that is now clear with Google acquiring it. Also, Universal hopes to strike a deal with YouTube on the lines of the deals YouTube entered with music and video companies like Warner.
There were no such strings attached with MySpace. Universal thought that enough is enough and it is high time that it gets some sort of compensation for the illegal use of its copyrighted content on monetized sites such as MySpace.
According to Mashable, Wall Street Journal reports that Universal has filed a lawsuit against MySpace for what it termed as ‘knowingly and intentionally’ violating copyright laws by allowing users to use its videos and music.
MySpace showed some concern regarding helping copyright holders. It is working on a technology with Gracenote to remove user-uploaded copyrighted music and working likewise for MySpace videos. MySpace tried to negotiate with Universal Music but Universal wanted to be compensated for previous use, which broke down talks. It is unimaginable that MySpace would ever agree to such a deal.
Now, the focus would be on the case. It would rather be very interesting to see what course the case takes and who would come out smiling at the end of the day. As it seems now, an out of court settlement cannot be ruled out entirely.
