Fullscreen, a multichannel network (MCN) and large publisher of YouTube videos, has been sued by the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) over alleged copyright infringement. The association also said it settled similar claims with Maker Studios, a Fullscreen peer.
"The problem of copyright infringement and unlicensed use of music is endemic to the MCN industry," David Israelite, NMPA president and CEO, said. Music publishers believe the success of Fullscreen and companies like it have come in part to due their unlicensed use of popular music--primarily by artists performing cover versions of others' material.
Fullscreen and Maker each reached deals with Universal Music Publishing Group earlier this year which gave each MCN's content creators access to Universal's music catalog.
This litigation is further evidence that the copyright issues around online video remain unsettled. Last week, Viacom (NYSE: VIA) renewed its appeal of a longstanding copyright challenge to YouTube.
For more:
- the Los Angeles Times had this report
- the New York Times had this report
- read the NMPA press release
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