The world"s largest record companies sued a number of major Internet service and network providers on Friday, alleging their routing systems allow users to access a China-based Web site and unlawfully copy musical recordings.
The copyright-infringement suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks a court order requiring the defendants to block Internet communications that travel through their systems to and from the Listen4ever site. The suit says the plaintiffs have not been able to determine who owns the Web site.
Plaintiffs in the suit include such major labels as UMG Recordings, a unit of Vivendi Universal; Sony Music Entertainment, a unit of Sony; the RCA Records Label, a unit of Bertelsmann"s BMG; and Warner Bros. Records, a unit of AOL Time Warner.
Defendants in the suit are AT&T Broadband, a unit of AT&T; Cable & Wireless, a unit of Cable & Wireless; Sprint; Advanced Network Services; and UUNet Technologies, a unit of WorldCom.