Major labels have gotten a lot of bad PR in the past, whether giving customers the shaft via overpriced CDs, signing bands to questionable deals, or potentially cutting their own workforces. Now another group is facing a lawsuit from labels and that group sucks – literally. Yeah, we’re talking about the porn industry. ABC News is reporting that a recent lawsuit filed by Warner and a number of other labels is claiming that Florida based RK Netmedia infringed on the copyright of a number of artists from Katy Perry to Justin Timberlake. The labels are claiming that they are owed compensation in the tens of millions of dollars for everything from songs being featured in videos to lip-syncing. Not only do the labels say the instances were “deliberate and calculated,” but they are seeking compensation of $150,000 per case.
Marc Randazza, the attorney for RK, claims that the music in question is part of the background where certain videos were filmed such as nightclubs. He says the intention was never to infringe on copyrighted material, but as you can imagine, that doesn’t mean much to labels who have been losing money for some time now. The case is still so young so it’s hard to tell how serious it is, but with the money labels are willing to throw into lawsuits instead of developing marketing plans that actually work, it’s safe to say they won’t be backing down anytime soon.
I can see where the labels are coming from because it’s their artists’ music. I can see where the porn industry is coming from, because music is an important part of many… short films (and frankly I’d rather hear Katy Perry than Jenna Jameson’s fake moans.) But all in all, the case reeks of desperation on behalf of the recording industry. The porn industry is one of the most recession-proof industries out there, and Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, and others named are still bankable, so it makes sense the labels would go after them. But I wonder- cue cheesy music- if they found a way to coexist, could there be a compromise? Rammstein and the porn industry seem to be doing just fine together.
