China: Yahoo under fire from the music industry
Under the leadership of their international trade association, the IFPI, eleven music production companies have filed a lawsuit against the Chinese version of the Yahoo internet portal. They accuse Yahoo China of distributing music without a license.
Under the leadership of their international association IFPI, eleven music production companies have sued the Chinese edition of the internet portal Yahoo.
They accuse Yahoo China of distributing music without a license. According to SDA, the plaintiffs - including companies such as Warner and Sony BMG - are demanding damages of around CHF 870 million. The portal had enabled users to access unauthorized downloads of 229 Chinese and English-language titles through links. The defendant takes a different view: it is not responsible for the content of third-party providers, a spokesperson for the Chinese Yahoo operator Alibaba is quoted as saying in an SDA report.
With this lawsuit, the music industry is continuing its attempts to take legal action against the illegal distribution of its offerings in China. Last November, IFPI filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the internet search engine Baidu.com. Success in court is very important for the music companies: according to industry experts, digital music content accounts for 20 to 30 percent of the annual sales of music giants such as Warner Music and Universal in China. Elsewhere in the world, these products only account for an average of ten percent of sales.
They accuse Yahoo China of distributing music without a license. According to SDA, the plaintiffs - including companies such as Warner and Sony BMG - are demanding damages of around CHF 870 million. The portal had enabled users to access unauthorized downloads of 229 Chinese and English-language titles through links. The defendant takes a different view: it is not responsible for the content of third-party providers, a spokesperson for the Chinese Yahoo operator Alibaba is quoted as saying in an SDA report.
With this lawsuit, the music industry is continuing its attempts to take legal action against the illegal distribution of its offerings in China. Last November, IFPI filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the internet search engine Baidu.com. Success in court is very important for the music companies: according to industry experts, digital music content accounts for 20 to 30 percent of the annual sales of music giants such as Warner Music and Universal in China. Elsewhere in the world, these products only account for an average of ten percent of sales.
