Megaupload has dropped its lawsuit against Universal Music Group for allegedly illegally getting YouTube to pull its "Mega Song" video off of the video sharing site. The company said it decided to focus its legal resources on defending itself against criminal charges for copyright violations. Company lawyers insist they will retain the right to reinstate the lawsuit in the future if appropriate.
The hacking group Anonymous has intercepted a 15-minute call between the FBI and the British police's cybercrime investigators, according to a Friday report. Available to download, the conference call ironically focused on how to track and prosecute the very group of hackers. The FBI has launched an investigation into how Anonymous able to attain the recording, which has some names of the suspects edited out.
Following the blockage of a YouTube video on Friday at the request of the RIAA and IFPI, cloud-storage service company Megaupload has stated it will sue Universal Music for prompting what it sees as a wrongful takedown. Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom requested YouTube reinstate the music video, dubbed Mega Song, while Universal asked to pull it again. The video in question was a promotional one for Megaupload and included P Diddy, Will.i.am, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, Chris Brown, The Game, and Mary J Blige. TorrentFreak learned.
Earlier this month, the record company Universal Music filed a lawsuit against the parent company of Grooveshark alleging the music service had infringed upon Universal's copyrights, and its managers had illegally uploaded musical content. The complaint and Universal's exhibits have now been made public. Included in these were internal Grooveshark emails which detail the company's intent of creating a stronger negotiating position for itself with the record companies by first trying to building a strong online audience without actually paying for it.
E-mails made available thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (pdf) and unearthed by Wired reveal high-ranking Obama administration officials were actively involved in secret negotiations between Hollywood, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and ISPs. The three sides were found collaborating on plans to disrupt web access for users who are suspected of violating copyright law. The e-mails included executives and lobbyists from the likes of companies like AT&T and Universal Music, among many others.
Warner Music Group announced this past Tuesday that it will provide its music videos, concerts and other related content to Hulu's free online video service. At the same time, Hulu users will now be able to access artist interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of recording labels that include Atlantic Records, Rhino Records and Warner Bros Records. Muse will be the first band to get their music content displayed on Hulu.
