PPL have been asking labels curious questions
It has been reported that a body of UK record labels may be looking to seek a court order to block internet users from accessing streaming website Grooveshark.
Recently, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) successfully blocked a number of Torrent websites. They did so by surveying UK labels through collecting society PPL to check if they had a licensing arrangements with their targeted sites.
Now, PPL have recently sent a similar message to ask labels if they are licensing content to Grooveshark, reports CMU. This had lead to rumours that the BPI streaming service is next in line to be blocked.
Hoever, BPI said in a statement to Music Week that it 'regularly carries out intelligence on unlicensed websites'" and is now 'updating its records to ensure accuracy'.
Grooveshark’s owners have always maintained that their site is legal and legitimate, operating a takedown system with America's Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This law does not apply outside of the States, so the website could well be found in hot water for copyright ingringment in a UK court.
The site has also recently struck licensing agreements with EMI Music Publishing and Sony/ATV.
