Report: Majors Sue LimeWire

SONY BMG, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP, WARNER MUSIC GROUP, and EMI have filed suit against P2P network operator LIMEWIRE for copyright infringement, reports the AP. The majors, who have assused the company of encouraging users of their file-sharing software to trade music without permission, are seeking compensatory and punitive damages to the tune of at least $150K for each instance in which a copyright song was distributed without permission on the network. LIMEWIRE is considered by the RIAA to be the current largest P2P network.

While LIMEWIRE officials hve yet to comment on the suit, the RIAA ha released the followung statement: "While other services have come productively to the table, LIMEWIRE has sat back and continued to reap profits on the backs of the music community. That is unfortunate and has left us no choice but to file a lawsuit to protect the rights and livelihoods of artists, songwriters and record label employees, as well as those companies building legitimate businesses based on music."

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