The record industry has welcomed a ruling in the French courts ordering internet company OVH to stop hosting websites for JustAnotherpanel and BuyBestSuperfans, both of which provide stream manipulation services.
That decision, IFPI CEO Victoria Oakley says in a statement, “confirms that enabling streaming fraud is unlawful in France and empowers the music industry to act against those offering these damaging services in the country”.
Meanwhile Alexandre Lasch at French record industry trade body SNEP adds, “The ruling clearly establishes that service providers bear responsibility in the fight against unfair practices in the music sector. By ordering the cessation of services provided to fraudulent sites, the court sends a strong message: these actions are illegal and harm artists, producers and the entire value chain of music”.
The legal action in France is part of a multi-layered campaign to stop streaming fraud, where individuals employ various tactics to manipulate the streams of specific tracks. Either to make certain artists look more popular than they really are, or to pull money out of the streaming royalty pool, so that the fraudster makes more money in royalties than they spend on manipulating streams.
That campaign involves litigation and prosecutions, sometimes industry-led, sometimes spearheaded by regulators, taking action either against individuals who commit streaming fraud or the platforms that openly provide stream manipulation services. Or - as in this case - otherwise legitimate internet businesses that provide hosting or payment processing for the stream manipulation sites.
It's a global campaign that has seen action taken in Brazil, Canada, the US, Denmark and Germany, often involving local music industry organisations and/or global trade group IFPI. It was SNEP that initiated the legal action against OVH back in June, with support from Deezer, SoundCloud and Spotify.
SNEP Managing Director Lasch continues, “this court decision represents a major step forward in the fight against streaming fraud in France and beyond. I welcome the fact that SNEP took the initiative in this action, demonstrating the organisation’s ability to act decisively in the interest of its members and the entire music ecosystem”.
Many of the websites that provide stream manipulation - where artists or labels can pay to boost the streams of specific tracks - also often offer services that allow artists or creators to boost likes, views and subscribers on social media and short form video sites. Both JustAnotherpanel and BuyBestSuperfans say they can help clients artificially boost their performance on various digital platforms.