The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said it has launched legal proceedings against several companies, in China including search oufits Baidu and Yahoo, which it claims are "committing mass copyright infringement".
According to Information Week, IFPI said that Baidu, Sohu, and Sogou are expected to be served on the respective companies by the court after the Chinese New Year.
The group cited a recent ruling by a Beijing court that found Yahoo China's music service is illegal under Chinese law. IFPI said the company hasn't complied with the court's ruling and it sent letters last month to Yahoo's U.S. leaders urging them to use its influence to stop "continuing breach of copyright law."
John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI, said in a statement
The IFPI said that neither Baidu nor Yahoo stores or trades in music but reckons the fact that they link to sites trading in copyrighted material.China's Internet companies have a unique opportunity to demonstrate respect for copyright, take a stand against piracy and engage in responsible partnership with music companies.
It's a matter of great regret that, despite the clear precedent laid down by the Yahoo China judgment, those Internet companies are instead choosing blatant violation of copyright, with the inevitable and unwanted litigation that follows in its wake.
Baidu is China's biggest search engine, well ahead of Google which can claim around 20 per cent of the market compared to Baidu's 70 per cent. Baidu also offers an MP3 search engine which has been a subject of much debate.
IFPI claims that more than 99% of music files distributed in China are pirated.
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