The record industry is finally going after “stream ripping,” the process of turning a stream into a downloadable file. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) have announced their first stream ripping lawsuit, against Youtube-mp3.org, which the organizations said was the world’s biggest website for the practice. Groups representing independent labels also endorsed the lawsuit, according to the announcement.
Youtube-mp3’s press contact did not immediately reply to Pitchfork’s email seeking comment.
The lawsuit, obtained by Pitchfork, was filed today in a federal court in California. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are UMG Recordings, Capitol Records, Warner Bros. Records, Warner Music Latina, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment US Latin, Arista Records, Atlantic Recording Corp., Elektra Entertainment Group, Fueled by Ramen, Kemosabe Records, LaFace Records, Nonesuch Records, WEA International, and Zomba Recording. The lawsuit accuses PMD Technologie UG, the German company that runs Youtube-mp3, of copyright infringement. The lawsuit asks for a jury trial and seeks monetary damages.
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