MP3Tunes Sued Into Bankruptcy

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I would say that I'm surprised by this news but, to be honest, the entertainment industry has been using this tactic for years.

MP3tunes.com was sued out of existence by EMI, one of the four top record companies, according to founder Michael Robertson, a technology entrepreneur who started Linspire, MP3.com and DAR.fm. In 2007, EMI accused MP3tunes.com of violating its copyright and so ensued more than four years of litigation, heaping loads of legal costs onto the start-up music service.
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Never heard of the site but anyways... I guess the site did not have permission selling much of its content, is that what happened?

I honestly dont know how any sites these days make money selling digital music and content with so much competition out there. Theres so many places to buy from, how do small sites make any money? I buy all my stuff from Amazon.com for the most part....
 
MP3Tunes was a digital "music locker service". Files could be searched and downloaded by others. EMI sued for copyright infringement. Totally surprising!
 
pxc said:
MP3Tunes was a digital "music locker service". Files could be searched and downloaded by others. EMI sued for copyright infringement. Totally surprising!
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Nope. Files could be uploaded and streamed to the original owner--just like Amazon, iTunes, and Google does today. I used their service back when it first launched (and there was nothing similar available). Being first to market on a unproven legal model made them take the brunt of the attacks.
 
Really, there should be some limits to this. Any big company can set it's sights on a smaller one and litigate until they are gone. This is one time when I actually think a little more regulation should be done. I'm usually against any other regulations, government oversight, etc., but this one needs some work.
 
parawing742 said:
Nope. Files could be uploaded and streamed to the original owner--just like Amazon, iTunes, and Google does today. I used their service back when it first launched (and there was nothing similar available). Being first to market on a unproven legal model made them take the brunt of the attacks.
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I concur. I have an mp3tunes account that I uploaded a few mp3 albums purchased from Amazon. I barely use it since I don't have much use for streaming music. I've never seen anywhere that tracks could be shared with any users so I don't see how this is any different than what iTunes, Amazon, and now Google is doing now.
 
Anything the industry "thinks", might possibly further erode CD sales will be attacked. Making your music easier to get at, where, whenever, on what ever device, is not in the indutries best interest as far as they are concerned. They want you to pay individually for every format or device you put it on. Services like this make it harder, file sharing makes it nearly impossible.
 
What is it with Michael Robertson always toeing the line asking for trouble for himself? It's a waste of talent that can be used in legit endeavors.
 
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