Brazil Court Rules in Favor of Myspace in Battle Over Royalties on Streamed Music

A Rio de Janeiro civil court on March 6 ruled in favor of the social networking service Myspace in a dispute over royalty payments.

The Brazilian agency which distributes royalties payments to composers and musicians, Ecad, sued Myspace to force it to pay royalties on the music it transmits. Ecad won the original case, with the court arguing that the “streaming” of music over the internet required approval from the artists who recorded the songs.

The court ordered Myspace to suspend streaming until it had permission from the artists and also set a fine for damages at 7.5% of any ...