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Digital
vKontakte begins removing music files
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 19 June 2013
Russian social network and Facebook rip off vKontakte has started deleting unlicensed music files from its platform, according to local media reports noted by Music Ally.
As previously reported, both Russian and international music companies have accused vKontakte of facilitating copyright infringement by enabling and encouraging users to share, stream and download music files posted without the permission of rights owners. The social networking firm wheeled out the “it’s not us, it’s our pesky users” line, but lost in court last year when Russian music firms SBA Publishing and SBA Productions sued.
The social networking site has also been on the radar of the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry which has likely been putting pressure on the firm to start behaving in the copyright domain, citing last year’s court ruling. Though Music Ally points out that new anti-piracy measures in Russia may also have played a role in vKontakte seemingly beginning takedown efforts.
How effective those takedowns are, and what impact it has on vKontakte’s userbase, remains to be seen.
