This is more than good news , its about time a public condemnation was made of the price fixing and corruption inside the music industrythat often goes unreported and is greeted with "no comment" by those operating the global Cartel.
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2007/tc20070105_896787.htmWhen it comes to legal action over downloaded music, the defendants are often individuals: The lone user downloads one too many copyrighted files and Big Media goes on the offensive. But now, the little guy is turning the tables.
A fresh crop of lawsuits filed on behalf of individuals argue that it's the big companies that are ripping off the consumer.
Melanie Tucker, a San Diego resident, says Apple Computer (AAPL) unfairly restricts how its iTunes Store customers can use legally purchased music. Apple uses its so-called Digital Rights Management, or DRM, software to prevent iTunes songs from easily running on media players that compete with its iPods.
Tucker's suit comes on the heels of a March, 2006 class action filed by Scott Ruth against music industry players including Sony BMG Music Entertainment (owned by Sony (SNE) and Bertelsmann Media), Universal Music Group, Time Warner Music Group (TWX), and EMI (EMI). Ruth, an Arizona resident, argues that the labels are violating antitrust agreements by using DRM to prevent music from being sold by a variety of retailers, thereby stifling competition that could keep prices down. Both Ruth and Tucker's suits seek compensation for music download customers as well as a change in the restrictions.
There are 3 pages in this article and its good to see a business site covering the fraud that goverments have allowed to take place on the consumer by allowing these companies to dominate whole segments of the retail music market globally, its about time more folks took legal action againt the Cartel of theives and their payola and monopoly positions.
