Spotify and the big three label groups have teamed up to sue shadow library Anna’s Archive over a massive song-scraping operation that is “effectively attempting to create a pirate version” of the streaming giant.
Anna’s Archive primarily operates as an illegal online library of pirated books and academic papers. But on Dec. 20, the site ventured into music by announcing that it had scraped 86 million songs from Spotify and planned to distribute them via a series of bulk torrents.
Related
Spotify responded by filing a sealed lawsuit in New York federal court on Dec. 29 alongside Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. The major record labels say the Anna’s Archive collection includes thousands of their most popular songs, including tracks by Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Shakira, Michael Jackson and U2.
“This action arises out of the brazen theft of millions of files containing nearly all of the world’s commercial sound recordings by a group of anonymous internet pirates with no regard for the law,” reads the complaint, made public on Friday (Jan. 16).
Judge Jed S. Rakoff granted an immediate restraining order on Jan. 2 aimed at stopping Anna’s Archive from distributing its pirated Spotify songs as promised. The order had the effect of disabling the Anna’s Archive domain, meaning its website is now inaccessible.
Related
Spotify and the major labels will continue to pursue long-term relief requiring Anna’s Archive to return or destroy the stolen music and pay them a sizable financial award. The labels are alleging copyright infringement and seeking the maximum damages of $150,000 per stolen song, which would add up to a whopping $12.9 trillion for all 86 million tracks.
“Given the enormous magnitude of defendants’ illegal reproduction and intended mass distribution of the record company plaintiffs’ sound recordings, the extent of the record company plaintiffs’ losses arising from defendants’ illegal conduct is extraordinary,” reads the lawsuit.
The labels and Spotify are also together seeking hefty financial damages for alleged violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and Spotify individually accuses Anna’s Archive of computer fraud and breaching its terms of service.
The people behind Anna’s Archive have not been identified, though the lawsuit alleges they likely live outside the United States. The site’s operators had not responded publicly to the legal allegations as of Wednesday (Jan. 21).
