#1 out of 1170.8K est. views
entertainment1d ago
Spotify and Big 3 Record Labels Sue Anna's Archive for $13 Trillion (!) Alleging Theft
Consequence.net and 1 more
- Spotify and the three major labels (Universal, Warner, Sony) have filed a $13 trillion lawsuit against Anna's Archive, alleging the platform scraped millions of music files.
- The filing describes Anna's Archive as engaging in a 'brazen theft of millions of files containing nearly all of the worlds commercial sound recordings'.
- A preliminary injunction issued on January 20 requires domain registries and hosting providers to disable access to Anna's Archive domains.
- Anna's Archive portrays itself as a 'preservation archive' for music, aiming to protect lesser-known recordings through BitTorrent-based access.
- The lawsuit was filed in late December and unsealed in January, with attempts for a temporary restraining order and limited response by Anna's Archive.
- A court-ordered access block targets multiple Anna's Archive domains, signaling escalating legal pressure against the platform.
- The case highlights the tension between piracy concerns and preservation goals, with the former damaging artists and the latter seeking to safeguard cultural works.
- There is skepticism about the $13 trillion damages figure, with the outlet noting the improbability of such a claim in context.
- Anna's Archive argued the platform would preserve recordings and prevent loss of lesser-known works, framing its mission as protective rather than pirate.
- The reference notes Spotify publicly opposed Anna's Archive, stating it was engaged in unlawful scraping and that safeguards were being implemented to counter such attacks.
Vote 1
