Recording Industry Association of America - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Grooveshark shuts down after settlement with record companies

  Streaming music service Grooveshark has closed down as part of a settlement with major record companies that had sued it for many years for copyright infringement.

• Music labels sue Pandora over pre-1972 recordings

  Five music labels have filed a lawsuit against streaming music service Pandora Music, saying the company is violating state law by refusing to pay labels and artists for its use of recordings made before 1972.

• After movie studios, record labels sue Kim Dotcom and Megaupload

  The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed a lawsuit against the defunct file-sharing website Megaupload and its founder, Kim Dotcom, alleging "massive copyright infringement" of music.

• Ad networks agree to take steps against online piracy

  A group of U.S. companies operating Internet advertising networks has pledged to bar websites trafficking in pirated goods from using their services and to take other steps to fight online copyright infringement.

• RIAA says Google's plan to demote pirate sites isn't working

  A recorded music industry association in the U.S. said Google's policy to demote pirate websites in search rankings was not working.

• File-sharing site Mega fields 150 copyright infringement warnings

  The file-sharing service Mega has fielded 150 copyright warnings since its recent launch as founder Kim Dotcom grows a risky new business while under indictment by U.S. prosecutors for running Megaupload.

• US Congress may not have stomach for another SOPA

  As a new session of the U.S. Congress convenes in early 2013, don't expect lawmakers to rush out a new version of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

• Supreme Court review sought of $222K verdict in music piracy case

  A woman ordered to pay $222,000 for pirating 24 copyrighted songs has taken her fight against the Recording Industry Association of America to the U.S. Supreme Court.

• US lawmaker asks Reddit for ideas on website seizures

  A U.S. lawmaker has asked users of Reddit for their ideas about legislation to address the controversial recent practice by two U.S. agencies of seizing websites for alleged copyright infringement.

• Former congressional staffers lobby for copyright bills

  Eight former staff members of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee are now lobbying on behalf of companies or groups supporting controversial copyright enforcement legislation in Congress, an example of the close ties often found between the political establishment and business interests.

• RIAA chief steps down

  Mitch Bainwol, who oversaw the Recording Industry Association of America's campaign against illegal music downloading, including lawsuits against individual file sharers and a Supreme Court case resulting in the closure of Grokster, has left the organization.

• Broadband providers to send subscribers file-sharing alerts

  Five large U.S. broadband providers will warn subscribers of illegal file sharing detected on their accounts under a new agreement with members of the entertainment industry, the groups announced Thursday.

• Share Netflix? Share a jail cell

  The leaden hand of Big Media and the fact that it has got any number of politicians well and truly bought was once again revealed this week when the state of Tennessee, "The Volunteer State," volunteered its legal infrastructure to do the bidding of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

• LimeWire settlement unlikely to blunt music piracy

  Peer-to-peer software maker LimeWire's willingness to pay a whopping $105 million to settle music piracy claims marks a decisive, if somewhat symbolic, victory for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

• LimeWire agrees to pay $105 million to record labels

  LimeWire has agreed to pay record labels US$105 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the file-sharing service allowed its users to infringe copyright, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced late Thursday.