Saturday, March 24, 2007
Music Publishers Sue XM Radio Over "Downloads"
Posted by Damion Chaplin in "THOUGHT" @ 02:00 PM
"XM Radio now has another headache. In addition to getting skeptical federal regulators to sign off on their merger with Sirius, the satellite radio operator was sued yesterday by a group of music publishers. The National Music Publishers' Association announced the lawsuit yesterday, accusing XM Radio of not compensating songwriters and publishers for music recorded by its subscribers. At issue are XM Radio players that have the capability to record music broadcast over the satellite service. The availability of devices like the Samsung Helix means that XM Radio is no longer just a satellite radio company, according to the NMPA. The fact that its subscribers can record music and listen to it again means that the company is operating an "unauthorized digital download service.""
I don't really peruse P2P sharing sites, so someone will have to correct me if I'm wrong, but I just can't imagine that people are recording songs with their sattelite receivers and then sharing it online. Certainly not in the epidemic proportions that would warrant litigation like this. It comes down to the fact that the Music Industry is either unable or unwilling to adapt to modern technologies and thus must sue to shield themselves from the scary unknown. :roll:
I don't really peruse P2P sharing sites, so someone will have to correct me if I'm wrong, but I just can't imagine that people are recording songs with their sattelite receivers and then sharing it online. Certainly not in the epidemic proportions that would warrant litigation like this. It comes down to the fact that the Music Industry is either unable or unwilling to adapt to modern technologies and thus must sue to shield themselves from the scary unknown. :roll:
