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Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal
Convert2MP3 shuts down following record industry legal action
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 24 June 2019
The battle against stream-ripping continues with the record industry scoring another win. This time Germany-based Convert2MP3 has agreed to cease operating.
Stream-ripping – where services allow users to grab permanent MP3 downloads of temporary streams – has been the music industry’s top piracy gripe for a while now. Convert2MP3 was added to the American record industry’s target list in 2017 and was the subject of a music industry secured web-block in Australia last month.
On Friday, the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry and German record industry trade group BVMI confirmed that – following legal action in Germany – a settlement had now been reached with the people behind Convert2MP3. That settlement includes financial compensation and a global shutdown of the platform.
The trade bodies added: “Additionally, the site is required to hand over the Convert2MP3 domains to IFPI and give broad undertakings not to infringe copyright or circumvent technological protection measures in relation to recorded music in future”.
Welcoming this development, IFPI chief Frances Moore said: “Stream-ripping is a threat to the entire music ecosystem. Sites such as Convert2MP3 show complete disregard for the rights of artists and record companies and take money away from those creating and investing in music. The successful outcome of this case sends a clear signal to other stream ripping sites that they should stop their copyright infringing activities or face legal action”.
Meanwhile, BVMI boss Florian Drücke added: “This is a great success for the digital music market. Since the music industry has transformed into a digital business it is of the utmost importance that the rights of artists and their partners are protected online. We are seeing an increasing understanding on the part of the courts and the fans that digital licensing is crucial for the creative industries and that business cases based on free riding are unacceptable”.
