MCS Music America, a copyright administration outfit that’s a subsidiary of the British firm Conexion Media Group PLC has filed suit in a Tennessee court against Microsoft, Real Networks, and Yahoo, claiming the companies’ streaming services provide access to tracks that the companies do not have permission to distribute. The suit seeks $150,000 for each act of infringement—meaning every time the songs are downloaded or streamed—and to have the tracks immediately removed from the online music services. The suit covers tens of thousands of tracks from a dozen or more music labels and artists like Aretha Franklin, Emmylou Harris, and even Grand Funk Railroad.
Tag Archive: Aretha Franklin
Inauguration Breaks Records
They’ve cleaned up the litter on the Washington Mall, taken down the stands, and after taking the oath of office (twice), the business of governance is underway. The dust has settled, and the figures for Internet traffic relating to the Inauguration are out.
Yahoo says it smashed all records, both for page views and visitors, with Yahoo News receiving over 329 million page views which came from 12.3 million unique visitors during the inauguration itself.
If that wasn’t enough, photo site Flickr did well too, as some 150,000 new pictures were uploaded and tagged with terms relating to the inauguration, Vnunet reports.
Cerf, Kahn Receive Top Civilian Honors
Often referred to as the “Fathers of the Internet,” Dr. Vinton Cerf and Dr. Robert Kahn were among recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor at a White House ceremony today.
Established by President Truman in 1953, the medal may be awarded by the President “to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

