In what could be the biggest suit of it's kind to date, Universal Music Group has issued a lawsuit against MySpace for knowingly permitting content that infringes on copyrights. According to sources, the suit is seeking damages of $150,000 per infringing track, either in audio or video form.

Universal filed the action in the US District Court in Los Angeles late Friday, alleging that MySpace "harbors no illusions" that its destination contains infringing content. The action also asserts that MySpace "knowingly and intentionally operated its business on the fiction that it has obtained the licenses it needs to exist from members that MySpace well knows are not the true copyright owners." Additionally, the label noted that MySpace "encourages, facilitates and participates in the unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, distribution and public performance" of its works. Digital Music News

Of course, as these battles usually go, MySpace is fighting back with it's own statements.

"MySpace provides an extraordinary promotion platform for artists - from major labels to independent acts - while respecting their copyrights," the statement reads. "We are in full compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and have no doubt we will prevail in court."

We've heard these arguements before, and that isn't the news. What's exciting is that it is no longer a David and Goliath scenario. We have two large, experienced forces staring each other down in a fight where everyone has an opinion and solutions just don't seem to stick. It will be interesting to see how much effort is wasted to prove who is right and who is wrong, while the public continues to push the limits of digital media without them.

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