YouTube could be battling expensive lawsuit over Pharrell and other popular music

YouTube could soon be battling an expensive lawsuit if it doesn't soon pull down hit songs from the likes of the Eagles and Pharrell.

A music licensing group that owns 20,000 songs, including from those popular artists, says its songs are illegally posted online and has threatened to sue YouTube for big bucks. Global Music Rights is "getting closer to having no alternative" but to file a massive lawsuit against YouTube, attorney Howard King said. He said US copyright law allows the group to sue for $150,000 in damages per violation. That means the suit could total $3 billion on paper, even though it's unlikely a court would levy that large a penalty.

[Dec 24]