Record companies ready suit against Yahoo China

Yahoo China, the country’s second-largest search engine, will be sued by record companies within “a few weeks,” according to a group representing labels including EMI Group and Universal Music Group.

“We’ve started the process, and as far as we’re concerned we’re on a track to litigation,” John Kennedy, chairman of the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry, said in an interview by telephone from Beijing. “If negotiation can prevent that, then so be it.”

About 90 percent of all recordings in China are illegal, with sales of pirated music worth about $400 million annually, according to the federation. Yahoo China, which is operated by Alibaba.com but 40 percent owned by Yahoo Inc., provides links on its Web site to illegally copied music on nonaffiliated sites.

Seven record companies – EMI, Universal, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Go East Entertainment, Gold Label Entertainment and Cinepoly Records – filed a civil suit last year against Baidu.com, China’s most-used search engine.





  1. soulxtc

    I like how people are starting to sue search portals because theyre not happy with how they do business….freakin tough use another.

    Heres another story about somebody suing Google because they supposedly ruined their rating…
    http://www.zeropaid.com/news/6761/Rank+outsider+sues+Google+over+zero+score

    Reply · Jul. 03 2006 at 7:10 pm
  2. mountain_rage

    Couldnt they sue any search engine then? Media companies are opening up a bag of worms and its only gonna end up badly for them

    Reply · Jul. 03 2006 at 10:59 am

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