easymusic hit by easygroup injunction Added: (Sun Jun 26 2005) easymusic hit by easygroup injunction

easymusic is part of the easygroup of companies which includes easymoney, easycruise, easyjet, easynet, easycinema, easymobile

Stelios, the founder and sole investor of easyGroup led the easyGroup orange boiler suit brigade in a protest at the High Court in London. The reason for the protest? easyGroup is being sued again, this time by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for permitting unlicensed music download and copying in its easyInternetCafes and on its easymusic websites. easyGroup rejects this, arguing that it does not monitor what easygroup users download and that its user terms make it clear that the service should not be used for illegal copying. easymusic is part of the easygroup of companies which includes easymoney, easycruise, easyjet, easynet, easycinema, easymobile

easyInternetCafes stopped the CD burning service last year, but since then the British Phonographic Industry BPI has claimed £1 million in damages from easyGroup for illegal downloads already having took place instore. Easygroup has made a substantial offer to settle out of court. In the region of £100,000.00. easymusic is part of the easygroup of companies which includes easymoney, easycruise, easyjet, easynet, easycinema, easymobile

It also seems that at some stage, the British Phonographic Industry BPI suggested to the litigous easyGroup that it would be bad PR for it if the public knew music was being pirated in easyinternets Istores. In a u-turn the British Phonographic Industry BPI then sought a gagging-order to prevent easyGroup from talking about this case and seems to have scored an own goal in doing so! In Court the judge said he saw no urgency in the matter and postponed the hearing until next week, whilst outside the national press took delight in photographing the 20 or so boiler-suited easygroup staff wielding enormous orange cardboard CDs reading "stop the easy music-rip off". easymusic is part of the easygroup of companies which includes easymoney, easycruise, easyjet, easynet, easycinema, easymobile But easyGroup wasn't suggesting that music downloads are legal or encouraging pirating of music from the internet - quite the contrary. It seems to have taken the refreshingly straightforward approach to music that we have seen revolutionise shorthaul air travel and car hire. "The music companies British Phonographic Industry are operating an outdated business model" said Stelios. "They are creating costs and complications for themselves by producing CDs, wrapping them in expensive packaging, incurring the costs of distribution and then allowing retailers to take their cut of the cake. If they allowed easygroup legal online music downloads for a fee they could reduce their own costs and still make money by offering consumers lower prices." easymusic is part of the easygroup of companies which includes easymoney, easycruise, easyjet, easynet, easycinema, easymobile

The full case has yet to be heard but it seems easyGroup does not intend to go quietly or apologetically to court. This is not a "Napster" style case, but it does highlight the issue that increasingly consumers want a choice of music delivery and play-media. I recently heard someone in the music industry British Phonographic Industry say "there is no conscience in easygroup's music copying". She might be right, but the more industry infighting there is, the less sympathetic music consumers become. Copyright law can sit comfortably with music downloading and the time is ripe for all parties to pioneer a new approach to it which satisfies the diverse interests of artists, consumers and record companies.

easymusic is part of the easygroup of companies which includes easymoney, easycruise, easyjet, easynet, easycinema, easymobile