There are many ways that people pirate music. Some rely on traditional methods such as piracy websites such as The Pirate Bay to get their music, while some prefer ripping the songs from Youtube via Youtube-to-MP3 conversion websites. Music labels have fought a long, hard war with piracy sites, but it appears that they are now targeting Youtube ripping sites as well.
In a report by the BBC, it appears that Universal, Sony and Warner Bros have taken legal action against the German operator of YouTube-mp3.org in Los Angeles. According to the legal documents, the record labels mentioned above claim that “tens, or even hundreds, of millions of tracks are illegally copied and distributed by stream-ripping services each month. The documents also claim that YouTube-mp3.org is the “chief offender,” with more than 60 million users per month.
All three parties are seeking damages from the website and its owner, with the fine being USD150,000 for every alleged instance of piracy. As of the time of writing, YouTube-mp3.org and its founder have yet to respond. “This site is raking in millions on the backs of artists, songwriters and labels,” says Cary Sherman, President of the Recording Industry Association of America. “It should not be so easy to engage in this activity in the first place, and no stream ripping site should appear at the top of any search result or app chart.”
Source: BBC