Watch out! The major labels are coming after your cars for copyright infringement! Well, they are if you have one of the new Fords or General Motors cars that rip CDs onto an internal hard drive.
The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) has filed a class action lawsuit demanding millions of dollars.
According to Torrent Freak:
TorrentFreak obtained a copy of the complaint (pdf) which states that Ford’s “Jukebox” device and General Motor’s “Hard Drive Device” allow consumers to rip CDs onto an internal hard drive. According to the music group these devices fall under the Audio Home Recording Act and the car companies are therefore required to pay royalties.
Thus far, neither Ford nor General Motors has complied with any requirements of the Act. Both companies have sold cars with these devices for several years on a variety of models including the Lincoln MKS, Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer, Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Volt, and GMC Terrain.
In addition to the two car companies, the lawsuit also targets their technology partners Denso and Clarion. Commenting on the dispute the AARC notes that a class action lawsuit was unavoidable.
[Link to the rest at Torrent Freak]
What’s next? Grounding the cars for bad behavior? What do you think?
–Glinda
(Classic car radio image via Morguefile: http://mrg.bz/kgvNWI )
