PARIS (Reuters) – French digital music group Believe said in a statement on Tuesday that it “strongly refutes” allegations from Universal Music Group, which accuses it of copyright infringement.
The world’s largest major filed a complaint to this effect on Monday in the United States.
UMG claims that Believe and its U.S. unit TuneCore may have profited from the distribution of illicit copies of copyrighted recordings.
“Their illegal practices are not limited to deceiving artists from major labels, but also artists from independent labels, including artists from independent labels within the commercial bodies of which Believe itself is a member.” , said a UMG spokesperson.
UMG, which filed the suit in New York, claims Believe distributed copyrighted works by changing artists’ names or releasing “speeded up” versions of original songs.
Songs by Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are distributed by Believe under false names such as “Kendrik Laamar”, “Arriana Gramde”, “Jutin Bieber” and “Llady Gaga”, they allege in their complaint .
UMG is seeking “at least $500 million” in damages, according to the complaint.
Believe states in its press release that it “takes respect for copyright very seriously”. “We strongly refute these allegations, as well as the statements made by Universal Music Group, and we will fight them,” the French company said.
“We have developed robust tools and processes to address this industry-wide challenge by working collaboratively with our peers and partners, and we will continue to do so,” added Believe.
Based and listed in Paris, Believe was founded in 2005 by Denis Ladegaillerie, a former Vivendi executive. Its initial objective was to open up the music distribution chain by distributing artists online and releasing their albums on download platforms, thus competing with traditional record labels.
Now present in 50 countries, Believe now supports artists and labels in their development and digital distribution. The company has, for example, worked with French artists Jul and Vianney.
Believe SA shares fell 0.14% to €14.72 at 4:35 p.m. GMT.
(Written by Florence Loève and Gianluca Lo Nostro, edited by Sophie Louet)
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