Music Publishers Sue Unlicensed Lyrics Sites, Brad Greenspan

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2009 - 9:00am.

Washington - The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), which represents the interests of songwriters and music publishers, announced that it has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against two websites offering song lyrics without permission.

NMPA members Peermusic, Warner/Chappell and Bug Music have filed suit against LiveUniverse -- owned by MySpace co-founder Brad Greenspan -- and Motive Force, which operates LyricWiki.

In addition, the NMPA sued Greenspan and Motive Force head Sean Colombo as individuals.

The lawsuits seek both equitable relief an unspecified damages for past infringements.

Over the past three years, the NMPA says it has sent hundreds of cease-and-desist letters to websites housing unlicensed lyrics.

"Unlicensed web sites exploiting song lyrics for profit have become a significant problem," said NMPA president and CEO David Israelite. "These sites are profiting on the backs of songwriters."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/26/lyrics_sites_sued/