Friday, March 4, 2016

PRS for Music launches new system to combat online piracy


Written by Coral Williamson — PRS For Music has launched its new anti-piracy take-down tool, MAPS.

The newly developed system is intended to revolutionise the way PRS For Music tackles copyright infringement of its members’ repertoire - and the collective rights management organisation believes it's the first of its kind in the music industry to offer a rights protection service of this scale and type to members.

Working in partnership with The Publishers Association, the trade body for the UK book publishing industry, MAPS has been developed for PRS For Music to deliver a bespoke notice and takedown system. The tool will locate unlicensed and infringing content made available online and will then allow users to automatically generate and serve notices to remove the content. It will also allow users to remove links to the content found on Google and elsewhere.

MAPS will be able to cut-off instances of piracy at the source, helping to ensure that the legitimate licensed services can be more easily found and that PRS For Music members receive fair remuneration for use of their repertoire online.

The system will initially be available to a selected number of publisher members this month. Members without access in the initial roll-out can contact the PRS For Music Anti-Piracy Unit for removal of infringements of repertoire on their behalf.

PRS For Music’s head of litigation, enforcement and anti-piracy, Simon Bourn, said: “We are very excited to be rolling-out our new anti-piracy system to publisher members. Where opportunistic and illegal use is made of our members’ repertoire online, without the necessary business model to sustain a legitimate licensed marketplace, it is important that we take action to protect the rights of our members and to preserve the value of their repertoire. MAPS will deliver greater control and transparency to our members, allowing them to participate in our content protection work.

"The system will also allow for a far greater number of infringements to be detected, reported and removed online. Whilst we call for the responsibilities of internet intermediaries to be clarified by law-makers, MAPS will utilise cutting-edge technology to enhance, automate and streamline PRS For Music’s rights protection work.”

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