Los Angeles
– EMI Music Publishing has reached an out-of-court agreement with lyrics
provider TuneWiki, heading off a possible court battle over licensing terms,
Digital Music News reported, citing sources.
TuneWiki’s initial deal reportedly
included the rights to offer lyrics from EMI artists on its website and
applications for the iPhone and Android platforms.
The company then began offering
EMI lyrics on the Vevo video portal and via several other partners, which led
sources to tell Digital Music News that EMI was considering a cease-and-desist
order.
However, as a result of negotiations, TuneWiki is now licensed to offer
EMI lyrics on Vevo and other services not covered by its initial agreement.
"This
deal is the perfect example of how the rightsholder and the end user can come
together to solve a problem," Michael Abitbol, vice president of legal and
business affairs for EMI Music Publishing, told Digital Music News.
"It’s
in everybody’s interest to expand the market for music and music-related products."
Founded in 2007, TuneWiki’s social media music player integrates licensed song
lyrics, combining subtitled lyrics translated into over 45 languages with music
and music videos.
The company recently announced a $7 million second round of
funding, from investors including Motorola Ventures, Benchmark Israel and
NoCoMo Capital.
Related Links:
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/030810tunewiki
http://snipurl.com/upoxz
(DMW previous coverage)
