**UMG and Partners Sue Believe and TuneCore for $500 Million Over Alleged Copyright Infringement**

Universal Music Group (UMG), ABKCO Music & Records, and Concord Music Group have launched a significant legal assault against Believe and its subsidiary TuneCore, seeking damages exceeding USD $500 million. Filed on Monday (November 4) in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the lawsuit accuses Believe of large-scale copyright infringement involving some of the world's most popular copyrighted recordings.

The complaint alleges that Believe has built its business model through "industrial-scale copyright infringement." The plaintiffs assert that Believe's rapid growth is attributed to the distribution of unauthorized copies of copyrighted tracks through major digital platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Instagram. The lawsuit emphasizes that Believe frequently distributes infringing versions of songs by notable artists, often disguised as "sped up" or "remixed" editions.

One striking detail in the lawsuit is the use of artist pseudonyms with slightly altered spellings, such as "Kendrik Laamar" and "Arriana Gramde," to bypass copyright detection systems. This manipulation has led to unauthorized distributions featuring artists' works from a variety of renowned names, including ABBA, Ariana Grande, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga.

The plaintiffs claim that Believe has exploited YouTube's Content ID system to falsely claim ownership of copyrighted recordings. Despite being challenged on YouTube, Believe allegedly continues to distribute these unauthorized tracks on other platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. This behavior highlights a disregard for stopping the distribution of infringed content, according to UMG and its co-plaintiffs.

UMG has voiced concerns over Believe’s opposition to streaming reform principles advocated by both major and independent labels. The spokesperson suggested that these reforms would reveal and potentially dismantle Believe’s dubious practices of benefiting from unauthorized music distribution.

The lawsuit further alleges that Believe’s catalog contains "millions" of infringing tracks, surpassing the legitimate catalogs of numerous major and independent labels combined. This raises questions about the ethical practices and policies that Believe has ignored, which foster widescale piracy while enriching themselves at the expense of rightful copyright holders.

This legal action against Believe follows a backdrop of broader industry concerns regarding the proliferation of unauthorized "modified" tracks on platforms like TikTok. Earlier this year, UMG had issues with ByteDance, filing 37,000 takedown requests that impacted over 120 million TikTok videos.

Moreover, the lawsuit draws parallels to Sony Music's recent case against an artist named Trefuego over a track that sampled and sped up a copyrighted song, highlighting recurring industry challenges in protecting artists' rights in the digital age. The outcome of the case against Believe could potentially set a new precedent in handling distributor liabilities related to digital streaming services and unauthorized music distribution.

The backdrop of these legal disputes underscores ongoing tensions in the music industry as it grapples with the evolving dynamics of digital music distribution and copyright enforcement.