Coalition of Artists Sue CBS Interactive, CNET for Mass-Scale Copyright Infringement

LOS ANGELES, May 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of artists in music and film have sued CBS Interactive Inc. and CNET Networks, Inc. for mass-scale copyright infringement today in Los Angeles federal court.  

This lawsuit is based on the defendants' direct participation in massive copyright infringement on peer-to-peer ("P2P") systems, such as LimeWire, that are used to copy and distribute songs, films and other artistic works.  LimeWire and its principals have already been found liable for copyright infringement on a virtually unprecedented scale and have been enjoined from further infringing  activities by a New York federal court.  As alleged in today's lawsuit, CBS Interactive and CNET have acted as the main distributor of LimeWire software and have promoted this and other P2P systems to profit from wide-scale copyright infringement.  

Internet users have downloaded more than 220 million copies of LimeWire software from these defendants' website since 2008, which is some 95 percent or more of all copies of LimeWire that were downloaded until LimeWire was shut down by Court Order.  Defendants' website also has been a major source for other P2P software applications, including FrostWire (32 million downloads).

Leading the coalition of artists in the suit are Alki David, film producer and billionaire founder of FilmOn.com, and Mr. Mike Mozart, a popular YouTube commentator who has documented in detail on the site CNET's participation in copyright piracy on an enormous scale.  

"Illegal file sharing through LimeWire has caused enormous damage to everyone who is trying to make a living in the entertainment community," Mr. David says.  "As more and more artists join this lawsuit, it will become the most significant copyright infringement lawsuit in history.  My ultimate hope is that this lawsuit will ensure that huge corporations like CBS Interactive and CNET do not profit from these wrongful activities at the expense of hard-working artists."

Many other respected artists are plaintiffs in the case with Mr. David.  They include Detron Bendross of 2 Live Crew, Rome, Diamond Blue of Pretty Ricky, Trisco Smith from Force MDs and Coldhard representing Crucial Conflict.  "Many more artists are currently expected to join in this lawsuit, which we believe ultimately will become one of the most significant copyright precedents to protect artists' rights," Mr. David says.

Lime Wire LLC and Lime Group LLC are also named as defendants with CBS Interactive and CNET in the lawsuit.

More information about the case can be found at http://www.viaconned.com, a site operated by Alki David, and on Mike Mozart's http://www.dancedwiththedevil.blogspot.com .  

ABOUT FilmOn.com Inc.

FilmOn.com Inc. was founded in March 2009 by FilmOn.com Plc, a Berlin-listed company (2F0A-BER) and is operated independently by a dedicated U.S. management team with offices in Los Angeles and London. Battlecam.com (http://www.Battlecam.com), is the 24 x 7 live reality community TV channel of FilmOn.com

SOURCE FilmOn.com Inc.