Chuck D, Stevie Winwood, Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart and Jason Mraz are among 22 recording artists who today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm an Appeals Court ruling in favor of the peer-to-peer services Grokster and Streamcast, holding them not liable for secondary copyright infringement on the decentralized versions of their software.
The artists signed an amicus (friend of the court) brief developed by pro-Internet and alternative music companies such as Sovereign Artists and the Jun Group. They support the Aug. 19, 2004, ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Other familiar artists who signed the brief are Janis Ian, Sananda Maitreya (formerly known as Terence Trent DÕArby) Michael Franti and Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky).
The RIAA, along with artist groups such as the Recording Artists Coalition, the Recording Academy and the music unions, have already filed briefs calling for the High Court to overturn the appeals court decision. Among the 54 recording artists who signed a RAC brief are the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, the Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks, Reba McEntire, Avril Lavigne, Dido, Tom Jones, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson and members of Barenaked Ladies.
