Universal Music Group has been locking legal horns with streaming service Grooveshark for some time, but on Friday the label group raised the temperature, filing a lawsuit accusing Grooveshark execs of uploading thousands of copyrighted songs to their own service. A significant accusation, since US DMCA safe harbor legislation only covers material uploaded by users of a site, not by its own staff. According to CNET, UMG claims Grooveshark CEO Samuel Tarantino has uploaded at least 1,791 copyrighted songs, while VP of external affairs Paul Geller uploaded 3,453, and another exec Benjamin Westermann-Clark uploaded more than 4,600.
UMG has also cited anonymous comments on a Digital Music News post about a spat between King Crimson and Grooveshark as proof that the site is unwilling to promptly take down songs uploaded by users. The news comes as a Danish anti-piracy group is trying to force ISPs in that country to block access to Grooveshark, meaning the company will be fighting legal battles on several fronts.
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