Universal Music Group has filed a $500 million lawsuit against Believe and Tunecore for ‘rampant piracy’ and copyright infringement. Here’s the most recent updates.
Universal Music Group (UMG), together with its subsidiaries UMG Recordings, Capitol Records, and ABKCO Music & Records, as well as Concord Music Group, has filed a huge copyright infringement case against Believe and its distribution platform Tunecore.
According to the petition, Believe grew its business by intentionally distributing infringing versions of prominent copyrighted music, including those owned by the Plaintiffs. These include clearly altered versions of tunes by artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga, from which they received royalties.
Believe’s distribution network, which includes relationships with sites such as TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify, allegedly allowed them to benefit handsomely from illicit distribution.
UMG attorneys claim that Believe’s acts have caused significant injury to their client’s business, artists, and other contributors, and they are seeking at least $500 million in damages, as well as a permanent injunction to stop Believe’s infringing activities.
“Believe’s client list is overrun with fraudulent ‘artists’ and pirate record labels who rely on Believe and its distribution network to seed infringing copies of popular sound recordings throughout their digital music ecosystem,” according to the claim.
“While Believe is fully aware that its business model is fueled by rampant piracy, it has eschewed basic measures to prevent copyright violations and turned a blind eye to the fact that its music catalog was rife with copyright infringing sound recordings.”
The complaint describes Believe’s practice of wrongfully collecting royalties that were owed to the plaintiffs and other copyright owners, as well as several particular cases of alleged infringement. These include the distribution of “sped up” or “remixed” versions of popular music, for which UMG claims direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright violations.
Believe has also been accused of using YouTube’s content management system to claim ownership of their recordings, diverting or delaying royalty payments.
UMG also claims infringement of pre-1972 sound recordings and seeks statutory damages, injunction relief to prevent future infringement, seizure and destruction of infringing copies, and attorneys’ fees and costs. They also request a jury trial.
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