Seventeen record labels have joined together to sue internet service provider RCN Corporation alleging the company facilitated, allowed and profited from widespread copyright infringement of music on its platform.
Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group along with 14 other record companies filed a federal lawsuit Aug. 27 in New Jersey against RCN accusing it of enabling massive copyright infringement of sound recordings and reaping “substantial profits” from the infringement. The information regarding the infringements was collected from notices sent by Rightscorp Inc., which notified RCN of specific instances of “first-time and repeat copyright infringement by RNC’s account holders,” according to the complaint. Rightscorp technology is able to identify actual copyright infringements on the internet by IP address, port number, time and date, the lawsuit states.
“This is a case about a leading internet service provider knowingly enabling its customers’ massive online infringement of sound recordings,” reads the first line of the 28 page lawsuit.