Warner sues web portal

Warner wants to protect artists like Green Day

16 May 07 - Another networking site is coming under fire from the music giants today. This time Warner Music Group Corp. is suing the operators of the social-networking Web site imeem, claiming the portal enables millions of computer users to share its artists' music and video content without permission.

A  lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles on behalf of several New York-based Warner Music Group subsidiaries, including Atlantic Recording Corp., Elektra Entertainment Group Inc., and Warner Bros. Records Inc.

The record company wants to stop imeem from using Warner Music content on its site, and unspecified damages, for each unauthorized music video or song posted on the Web site.

In its complaint, Warner claims imeem invites "millions of users to flock to its Web site to copy, adapt, distribute and perform unlicensed sound recordings and music videos."

The record company also contends imeem's operators have deliberately refrained from using technology to prevent its users from sharing content.

"Imeem itself directly engages in much of the infringing conduct by duplicating, adapting, distributing and performing plaintiff's works through imeem's own servers," the lawsuit states.

The web portal hasn’t made a statement yet but describes itself as a "leading next-generation social media network," launched in March 2006. It claims to have 16 million active users.

Recently Universal Music Group filed a similar complaint against MySpace.com. That lawsuit is still pending.


Adrian Larkin