Universal Music Group (UMG), alongside ABKCO Music & Records and Concord Music Group, has filed a lawsuit against Believe Music and its subsidiary, TuneCore, claiming large-scale copyright infringement. The lawsuit seeks $500 million in damages and accuses Believe and TuneCore of distributing unauthorized versions of popular songs on streaming platforms, allegedly bypassing copyright protections. Some artists impacted are Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. All though, there many other popular artist signed to Universal Music that may be falling pray to this potential piracy.
Allegations of Unauthorized Distribution
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York. It claims the offender, Believe and TuneCore have supported alleged practices involving minor alterations to copyrighted songs to avoid detection. The complaint states that by adjusting tempos and altering artist names enabled distribution of copyrighted tracks behind new versions. Some name changing examples include “Kendrik Laamar” and “Arriana Gramde”.
UMG’s Stance and Industry Implications
UMG contends that Believe’s business practices rely on piracy, alleging they’ve overlooked copyright enforcement to support their distribution model. The plaintiffs further argue that even after acknowledging the absence of rights for certain content, Believe continued distributing tracks on major platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
This case emphasizes the ongoing fight against digital piracy in the music industry. For example, In 2000, Metallica sued Napster for facilitating unauthorized music sharing, leading to Napster’s shutdown. In 2019, major record labels secured a $1 billion verdict against Cox Communications for not acting against repeat infringers on its network. Similarly, in 2022, Charter Communications settled lawsuits with record labels over claims of failing to disconnect subscribers engaged in piracy. These cases underscore the industry’s ongoing efforts to combat digital piracy and protect intellectual property rights. The outcome may influence future practices in digital music distribution and hopefully strengthen the enforcement of copyright laws in streaming services.
