Lawsuit Accuses CNN of Using Songs Without Approval

CNN is facing a $17 million lawsuit accusing it of using hundreds of songs in international broadcast segments without acquiring a license or paying the proper fees.

The lawsuit was filed by Freeplay Music, a production music library company with a catalog of over 50,000 songs to be licensed and used in everything from television broadcasts to advertisements to YouTube videos. According to the suit, obtained by Rolling Stone, several CNN outposts around the world — including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Chile — treated Freeplay’s library like “their own personal cookie jar,” allegedly using over 115 copyrighted works in over 280 segments over the past few years.

Accusing CNN of “willful copyright infringement,” the suit reads: “These are not minor uses. FPM’s production music library has been used to create and enhance the CNN brand in these segments, and to create the mood and feel that the International Parties aimed to convey. The Works often appear at the beginning of the segment and run throughout… [T]he licensing and payment requirements are clearly described on the FPM website. FPM placed CNN on notice of this infringement, but its letter was ignored.”

Read the source article at yahoo.com