Global music companies in fresh China piracy suit
Three of the world’s most influential music labels launched fresh legal action against China’s top internet search engine Baidu for pirating music files.
By Agencies |
SHANGHAI: Three of the world’s most influential music labels launched fresh legal action against China’s top internet search engine Baidu for pirating music files, the recording industry’s trade body said.
In a filing with a Beijing court, Universal Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment Hong Kong and Warner Music Hong Kong have demanded that Baidu remove music links they say infringe on their copyrights, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said in a statement on Monday.
The three firms, which lost a related ruling in December, have, with Gold Label Entertainment, filed a case with fresh piracy claims against Chinese internet portal Sohu.com and its search engine, Sogou.
Yahoo China also faces proceedings after refusing to comply with a December ruling by the Beijing Higher People’s Court which confirmed that the firm had committed mass copyright violations, it said. The decision to file a new case was based on the court’s ruling on Yahoo China, which highlighted a recent change in China’s internet copyright regulations, a spokesman for the IFPI in London said on Tuesday.
John Kennedy, chief of the IFPI said: “The music industry in China wants partnership with the technology companies.” “But you cannot build partnership on the basis of systemic theft of copyrighted music and that is why we have been forced to take further actions,” he said in the statement.
A senior manager with Baidu said he was not aware of the case. Other relevant court and company officials were not immediately available to comment. As internet usage has soared in Asia in recent years, the music industry’s revenue has fallen dramatically, largely due to MP3 downloads from unauthorised sources. According to the industry body, more than 99% of all music files in China are illegitimate, causing record companies to lose billions of dollars a year.
In a filing with a Beijing court, Universal Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment Hong Kong and Warner Music Hong Kong have demanded that Baidu remove music links they say infringe on their copyrights, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said in a statement on Monday.
The three firms, which lost a related ruling in December, have, with Gold Label Entertainment, filed a case with fresh piracy claims against Chinese internet portal Sohu.com and its search engine, Sogou.
Yahoo China also faces proceedings after refusing to comply with a December ruling by the Beijing Higher People’s Court which confirmed that the firm had committed mass copyright violations, it said. The decision to file a new case was based on the court’s ruling on Yahoo China, which highlighted a recent change in China’s internet copyright regulations, a spokesman for the IFPI in London said on Tuesday.
John Kennedy, chief of the IFPI said: “The music industry in China wants partnership with the technology companies.” “But you cannot build partnership on the basis of systemic theft of copyrighted music and that is why we have been forced to take further actions,” he said in the statement.
A senior manager with Baidu said he was not aware of the case. Other relevant court and company officials were not immediately available to comment. As internet usage has soared in Asia in recent years, the music industry’s revenue has fallen dramatically, largely due to MP3 downloads from unauthorised sources. According to the industry body, more than 99% of all music files in China are illegitimate, causing record companies to lose billions of dollars a year.
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