MP3.com Guilty of Copyright Infringement
  06/13/2001 12:21:35 AM MDT Albuquerque, Nm
  By Dustin D. Brand; Owner AMO

MP3.com was just sold for $372 M to Vivendi a few weeks ago, late last week mp3.com was found guilty.   A New York judge late last week found MP3.com liable for copyright infringement in a lawsuit brought by the music publishing division of the Zomba Group of Companies, according to a news report published Tuesday.

  Online music company MP3.com has faced many previous lawsuits during its relatively short history, including several lawsuits brought by major players in the recording industry. New York District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who presided over at least one of those past suits, granted Zomba's request for partial summary judgment in its case against MP3.com. On top of this, Vivendi Universal and MP3.com have agreed, and mp3.com is being sold to Vivendi for $372 Million. Vivendi's own music unit had previously sued MP3.com for copyright infringement.

  The judge plans to issue an opinion "in due course" that explains his reason for granting the ruling.

  In a past lawsuit, My.MP3.com, the San Diego-based company's online service, was at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against MP3.com by the five major record labels. Four of the five labels settled for undisclosed amounts, but Vivendi's Universal Music Group (UMG) subsidiary held out. The legal battle ended when MP3.com agreed to pay UMG $53.4 million in damages for copyright infringement. Now Vivendi is buying MP3.com for $372 Million, and it appears they will have to pay many more damages.

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