Golden oldies: record labels seek Pandora payout

摘要

Five major record labels are suing Pandora for copyright infringement, alleging the internet radio service has refused to obtain licences to play thousands of songs recorded before 1972 - including iconic hits 'Hey Jude' by the Beatles, the Jackson 5's 'ABC, and 'Big Girls Don't Cry'by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. The record labels, which are seeking an injunction and unspecified damages, filed suit on 17 April, 2014 in New York state court. A similar lawsuit filed in September 2013 by the same record labels is pending against satellite radio provider Sirius XM in California Superior Court. The suits were brought in New York and California state courts because the federal Copyright Act does not protect sounds recordings made prior to 15 February, 1972, and the record labels instead must rely on state statutes and/or common law copyright protection. The lawsuits come as the US Copyright Office urges that pre-1972 sound recordings be brought under the federal copyright statute to harmonise the law and provide greater clarity regarding these recordings to parties that, at least for now, must rely on a patchwork of state statutes and common law rights.