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from the don't-they-have-those-songs-anymore? dept.
The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) has asked the courts to allow it to double its claims against exercise bike and treadmill startup Peloton, after discovering more unlicensed music — including songs by Taylor Swift and Kesha — being used in workout videos that play on the bikes' built-in screens. It's now seeking $300 million in damages, as reported by Forbes.
The original complaint, filed in March, accused Peloton of using over 1,000 songs without getting the proper license. At the time, NMPA requested $150 million in damages. After the lawsuit was filed, the offending songs conveniently disappeared, upsetting connected exercise equipment owners who'd gotten used to their beloved playlists.
But not all the songs disappeared, as reported by The Verge. Here's what the NMPA now has to say about that:
Indeed, it is only as a result of initial discovery in this lawsuit that the full scope and extent of Peloton's unlawful infringement has started to come into focus, revealing more than 1,000 additional musical works [...] those newly discovered works include some of the most famous and popular songs ever recorded, such as "Georgia On My Mind," "I Can See For Miles" and "I Saw Her Standing There."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Monday September 16 2019, @03:11PM
While Peloton may be legally and ethically wrong, the RIAA (and MPAA) are far worse.
The damages they are asking for is patently ridiculous. In what way do they think their market value was damaged by such an absurd amount? Would anyone have actually paid that much to hear these songs on their exercise machines? Only in the RIAA's dreams.
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