Settlement ends trial over damages, 5-year-old lawsuit
LimeWire already liable for copyright infringement.
The operators of LimeWire agreed to pay record companies $105 million, ending a federal trial over copyright infringement damages owed by the once popular but now defunct file-sharing service.
The settlement with 13 record companies, including labels owned by Sony Corp , Vivendi SA , Warner Music Group Corp and Citigroup Inc's EMI Group, followed mediation, and ends nearly five years of litigation.
U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan had ruled last May that LimeWire's parents, Lime Group and Lime Wire LLC, wrongfully assisted users in pirating digital recordings.
She shut down LimeWire in October, leaving open the question of damages that could have exceeded $1 billion on roughly 10,000 recordings released since 1972. A jury trial over that issue had begun last week.
"Lime Wire and its founder, Mark Gorton, are pleased that this case has concluded," according to their law firm Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, which announced the settlement.
The record labels include Arista, Atlantic, BMG Music, Capitol, Elektra, Interscope, Laface, Motown, Priority, Sony BMG, UMG, Virgin and Warner Brothers.
"We are pleased to have reached a large monetary settlement," RIAA Chief Executive Mitch Bainwol said in a statement. He called the accord a victory for music providers that "play by the rules."
Founded in 2000, LimeWire has been a thorn for record companies because millions of fans used it as an easy means to find and download music for free. Its owners have said the service once had more than 50 million monthly users.
UPDATE 2-Lime Wire to pay record labels $105 mln, ends suit | Reuters
LimeWire already liable for copyright infringement.
The operators of LimeWire agreed to pay record companies $105 million, ending a federal trial over copyright infringement damages owed by the once popular but now defunct file-sharing service.
The settlement with 13 record companies, including labels owned by Sony Corp , Vivendi SA , Warner Music Group Corp and Citigroup Inc's EMI Group, followed mediation, and ends nearly five years of litigation.
U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood in Manhattan had ruled last May that LimeWire's parents, Lime Group and Lime Wire LLC, wrongfully assisted users in pirating digital recordings.
She shut down LimeWire in October, leaving open the question of damages that could have exceeded $1 billion on roughly 10,000 recordings released since 1972. A jury trial over that issue had begun last week.
"Lime Wire and its founder, Mark Gorton, are pleased that this case has concluded," according to their law firm Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, which announced the settlement.
The record labels include Arista, Atlantic, BMG Music, Capitol, Elektra, Interscope, Laface, Motown, Priority, Sony BMG, UMG, Virgin and Warner Brothers.
"We are pleased to have reached a large monetary settlement," RIAA Chief Executive Mitch Bainwol said in a statement. He called the accord a victory for music providers that "play by the rules."
Founded in 2000, LimeWire has been a thorn for record companies because millions of fans used it as an easy means to find and download music for free. Its owners have said the service once had more than 50 million monthly users.
UPDATE 2-Lime Wire to pay record labels $105 mln, ends suit | Reuters
.. no chance there going to pay that
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