MP3Tunes.com founder combats copyright charges

In March, we discussed the copyright case in which the founder of the website MP3Tunes.com was ordered to pay $41 million for copyright infringement damages. In this case, even though the owner had declared bankruptcy, he was still liable for paying the damages. 

In 2012, MP3Tunes.com filed for bankruptcy. The site's function was to provide online "lockers" that allowed users to store music files online and access them from mobile devices. It was alleged by EMI Group Ltd. that MP3Tunes.com was infringing upon the copyrights of music publishers and record companies by providing this service. 

As a result, founder Michael Robertson was ordered to pay more than $40 million in damages. Although it was decided that Roberston would be responsible for paying, he is reportedly taking action to overrule the decision.

According to an article in Techdirt, some of the examples of infringement provided in this case were general instead of specific. In cases like this it is necessary for specific instances of infringement to be indicated. Additionally, Robertson ended up losing money, not benefiting from the infringement. 

As Techdirt notes, the implications of this case could possibly have an impact on cloud service providers, which allow users to store files in a cloud in a similar way to the service provided by MP3Tunes.com. 

Copyright infringement cases involving online file-sharing and downloading are nothing new. When this kind of infringement takes place on a large scale, it can create the potential for major losses for businesses like record companies and movie studios and software manufacturers.

For this reason, it is important for these companies to take the steps necessary to protect valued assets against infringement. A Phoenix, AZ business attorney can address any concerns you might have surrounding how copyright law affects your business. 

Categorised in: Intellectual Property Law

This post was written by