Washington
– The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from major record
label Sony (NYSE: SNE) BMG, letting stand a lower court’s ruling that found
Launch Media’s Web radio offering was not an "interactive service" requiring
additional licensing fees, the Exclusive Rights blog reported.
Yahoo (NASD: YHOO), which
acquired Launch Media for $12 million in 2001, settled copyright infringement
litigation brought by Sony Music over the service back in 2003, agreeing to pay
damages for past use of songs and to license Sony recordings for future use on
Launch.
Sony Music had further argued that Launch Media was an "interactive"
service because users could create stations based on their preferences, or an
artist name or song title — and thus should be subject to additional licensing
fees.
The U.S.
Second Circuit Court of Appeals found last year that Launch was not an
interactive service; Sony’s appeal of that decision to the Supreme Court
was declined yesterday.
Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/u78lg
(Exclusive Rights blog)
http://snipurl.com/u78n8
(DMW previous coverage)
