Ministry of Sound has sued the digital music service Spotify for its refusal to delete playlists that resemble the club night’s own compilation albums.
Ministry of Sound argues Spotify has breached copyright, basing their case on the fact that some of the playlists contain the words ‘Ministry of Sound’. Proceedings in the UK high court began last week.
The dance music corporation is seeking damages and costs but also wants the playlists to be removed from the Spotify service. The outcome of the case will be determined by whether or not the court rules that the curatorial component of the compilations counts as intellectual property.
Ministry of Sound’s CEO, Lohan Presencer, told The Guardian: “It’s been incredibly frustrating: we think it’s been very clear what we’re arguing, but there has been a brick wall from Spotify”
“We painstakingly create, compile and market our albums all over the world. We help music fans discover new genres, records and classic catalogues…It’s not appropriate for someone to just cut and past them.”
The dispute began in 2012 but has since escalated and Presencer claims that the knowledge and research that goes into each playlist should be considered intellectual property.
Originating in Sweden, Spotify has amassed 24 million users since 2008. The service allows its users to listen to the 20 million songs in its catalog. The user playlists are a key feature of the site.
By Georgina Burks
