Publishers Cry Foul Against MediaNet: Lawsuit Flies

A number of publishers are now launching a legal attack against MediaNet Digital, owner of the MusicNet white label service.  On Wednesday, the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) shared news of a class action lawsuit with Digital Music News, and pointed to participation from Sony/ATV Songs, Peer International, Frank Music Corporation and MPL Publishing. 

According to the NMPA, MediaNet has been engaged in "willful and ongoing copyright infringement" across its various online music properties.  Specifically, the NMPA is demanding mechanical license payments on interactive (on-demand) and temporary downloads, a serious sticking-point between publishers and online music services.

On a broader scale, the publishing consortium accuses online music stores - represented by DiMA - of reneging on initial promises to pay mechanical fees once rates were determined.  DiMA maintains that it already pays performance licenses on the content, and views mechanicals as an unnecessary charge.  "This is a flagrant and egregious violation of the agreements music publishers were willing to make in order to allow new business models to flourish to the benefit of music fans," explained NMPA president and chief executive David Israelite.

Digital Music News