Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group – collectively, the “Big Three” record labels – have filed a lawsuit against the world’s most popular YouTube ripping website, YouTube-mp3.org. The website is one of the primary offenders of unlawful stream ripping in the world, accounting for more than 40% of all cases globally.
These major labels took legal action after “a recent survey found that 57 million persons in the United States are engaging in copyright infringement of sound recordings using unauthorized online services, including stream ripping services”. These websites allow users to rapidly convert YouTube videos into audio files within seconds.
The Big Three are seeking statutory damages from the website and its owner that include $150,000 for each alleged instance of piracy.
