Legal Technology News

Grooveshark’s Actions Infringe on Copyrights, Judge Rules
Download PDF
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Grooveshark's Actions Infringe on Copyrights, Judge Rules

Summary: A federal judge in Manhattan has ruled that Grooveshark’s music streaming service infringes on copyrights. The next step is to determine the amount of damages Grooveshark owes to those whose copyrights have been infringed upon, which could shut Grooveshark down for good.

According to VentureBeat.com, a federal judge in New York issued a ruling that may shut Grooveshark, a free music streaming service, down for good. Grooveshark, which was founded in 2006 and boasted that it had 35 million users in 2011, may soon have to shut its doors if it is forced to pay record labels a substantial amount of damages.

  
What
Where


Judge Thomas P. Griesa of the United States District Court in Manhattan ruled that the service infringed on thousands of major label copyrights.

Record labels have fought Grooveshark for years, and it appears that they may have finally gotten the result that they want. Grooveshark, which is based in Gainesville, Florida, has denied that it has infringed upon any copyrights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act states that websites are not liable for hosting copyrighted materials so long as they provide the copyright holders a mechanism for removing infringing material.

Judge Griesa’s ruling stems from the fact that employees and principals of Grooveshark uploaded nearly six thousand copyrighted music files themselves. Even worse, they attempted to destroy evidence that they had uploaded the music.

Get JD Journal in Your Mail

Subscribe to our FREE daily news alerts and get the latest updates on the most happening events in the legal, business, and celebrity world. You also get your daily dose of humor and entertainment!!




Judge Griesa opined, “Each time Escape [Media Group, which owns Grooveshark] streamed one of plaintiffs’ songs recordings, it directly infringed upon plaintiffs’ exclusive performance rights.”

The next step in the case is determining the amount of damages Grooveshark may have to may out to plaintiffs for infringing upon their copyrighted material. In the past, damages awards have been significant, and a large enough award may put Grooveshark out of business.



Grooveshark’s attorney stated he and Grooveshark were “disappointed” with the judge’s ruling and are contemplating appealing the decision of the court.

Two other cases that were filed by record labels are pending against Grooveshark. One is in New York state court, and the other is in New York federal court.

Photo credit: mashable.com



 

RELEVANT JOBS

Associate Attorney

USA-PA-Exton

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY McKenna Snyder LLC, a law firm in Exton, PA has an immediate opening for an ex...

Apply now

Attorney

USA-MI-Sturgis

Qualifications: HaasCaywood is seeking associate attorneys for our Coldwater and Sturgis, Michiga...

Apply now

Attorney

USA-MI-Coldwater

Qualifications: HaasCaywood is seeking associate attorneys for our Coldwater and Sturgis, Michiga...

Apply now

Deputy General Counsel / Senior Deputy General Counsel

USA-CA-Sacramento

Cal Cities Culture and Mission Cal Cities is dedicated to creating a collaborative and inclusive ...

Apply now

BCG FEATURED JOB

Locations:

Keyword:



Search Now

Education Law Attorney

USA-CA-El Segundo

El Segundo office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks an education law attorney with ...

Apply Now

Education Law Attorney

USA-CA-Carlsbad

Carlsbad office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks an education law attorney with 4-...

Apply Now

Education Law and Public Entity Attorney

USA-CA-El Segundo

El Segundo office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks an education law and public ent...

Apply Now

Most Popular

SEARCH IN ARCHIVE

To Top