Believe has issued a statement in response to a major copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the company and its subsidiary TuneCore by Universal Music Group, ABKCO, and Concord Music Group.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday (November 4) alleges that Believe has built its business through “industrial-scale copyright infringement” of “the world’s most popular copyrighted recordings.”
In a statement issued to MBW today (November 5), a Believe spokesperson said that the company and its subsidiary TuneCore “strongly refute these claims, and the statements made by Universal Music Group and will fight them.”
The complaint, which you can read in full here, was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and focuses in part on the dissemination of so-called ‘manipulated’ audio.
Believe’s full statement reads: “Believe and TuneCore do not comment on pending litigation. As companies that work with artists and labels around the world, we take the respect of copyright very seriously.
“We strongly refute these claims, and the statements made by Universal Music Group and will fight them. We have developed robust tools and processes to tackle this industrywide challenge, working collaboratively with partners and peers and will continue to do so.
“We have been at the forefront of the digital music ecosystem for nearly 20 years, supporting the development of independent artists and labels, and have been awarded Tier 1 status and included in the Preferred Partner Program across all music stores.”
Universal Music Group, ABKCO and Concord claim that Believe has achieved significant growth by acting as a hub for distributing unauthorized copies of copyrighted recordings to major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Instagram.
UMG et al allege: “Often, Believe distributes overtly infringing versions of original tracks by famous artists with notations that they are ‘sped up’ or ‘remixed’.”
UMG, ABKCO, and Concord are seeking damages of at least USD $500 million.
A spokesperson for UMG said of the lawsuit: “Believe is a company built on industrial-scale copyright infringement. Their illegal practices are not limited to cheating artists on major labels but artists on independent labels as well—including artists on the independent labels within the trade bodies of which Believe is itself a member.”
“As companies that work with artists and labels around the world, we take the respect of copyright very seriously.”
Believe spokesperson
The lawsuit highlights multiple examples of alleged infringement (see Exhibit A and Exhibit B here).
These examples include tracks uploaded by “artists” using slightly misspelled versions of famous names such as “Kendrik Laamar,” “Arriana Gramde,” “Jutin Biber,” and “Llady Gaga.”
Many of the unauthorized tracks are described as “sped up” or “remixed” versions of original recordings by artists including ABBA, Ariana Grande, Beastie Boys, Bon Jovi, Daddy Yankee, Diana Ross, Drake, Elton John, Fall Out Boy, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Nirvana, and the Rolling Stones.
As previously noted by MBW, the lawsuit emerges against the backdrop of concerns over unauthorized “modified” tracks, particularly on TikTok.
It follows UMG’s recent confrontation with ByteDance, involving 37,000 takedown requests affecting over 120 million TikTok videos earlier this year.
It also builds on a potential precedent from Sony Music’s case against an artist called Trefuego in April over his track, 90mh, which was based around a sped-up sample of the 1986 track Reflections by Japanese composer Hinata, which Sony represents.
At the time, Music Business Worldwide raised fundamental questions about distributor liability in the digital streaming age.Music Business Worldwide
