MySpace hit with Universal copyright lawsuit

Universal Music Group (UMG) has sued MySpace.com, claiming the social-networking site is infringing on the copyrights of thousands of songs and videos.

Universal, owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi, claims Myspace has looked the other way as users unlawfully uploaded copyright music videos.

In a copy of court documents filed on Friday in US District Court in Los Angeles, Universal also accuses MySpace of aiding copyright infringement by reformatting clips so users can transfer them to friends or post them to other sites.

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Universal's attorneys wrote in the filing: "Defendants have made infringement free and easy. [MySpace] has turned MySpace Videos into a vast virtual warehouse for pirated copies of music videos and songs."

Universal's announcement came hours after MySpace had launched a new copyright protection tool. The companies have also negotiated for weeks over the issue of copyright, according to a Universal spokesman.

A MySpace spokesperson said in a statement: "MySpace provides an extraordinary promotion platform for artists - from major labels to independent acts - while respecting their copyrights. We have been keeping UMG closely apprised of our industry-leading efforts to protect creators' rights, and it's unfortunate they decided to file this unnecessary... litigation."

CNET News.com's Declan McCullagh contributed to this report

Greg Sandoval writes for CNET News.com