Early Music Streaming Service Grooveshark Shuts Down to Settle Infringement So ends a four-year legal battle with major record companies.

By Reuters

This story originally appeared on Reuters

Online music streaming service Grooveshark shut down its operations as part of its settlement agreement with major record companies, according to a message posted on the website, putting an end to a four-year legal battle.

Grooveshark will wipe clean all of the record companies' copyrighted works and hand over ownership of its website, mobile apps and intellectual property, including patents and copyrights, the company said.

"Despite best of intentions, we made very serious mistakes. We failed to secure licenses from rights holders for the vast amount of music on the service," Grooveshark said.

Grooveshark and its parent Escape Media Group were not immediately reachable for comment.

A U.S. judge ruled last week that Gainesville, Florida-based Grooveshark's copyright violations on nearly 5,000 songs were "willful" and made "in bad faith."

Nine record companies including Arista Music, Sony Music Entertainment, UMG Recordings, and Warner Bros Records, sued Escape Media Group for infringement in 2011.

In court papers, they called Grooveshark a "linear descendant" of Grokster, LimeWire and Napster, all of which had been shut down because of copyright infringement.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

AI Is Going to 'Replace Everybody' in Several Fields, According to the 'Godfather of AI.' Here's Who He Says Should Be 'Terrified.'

Geoffrey Hinton, called the "Godfather of AI" due to his pioneering work on AI, says some fields face a heavier risk of replacement due to automation.

Growing a Business

Don't Wait For Customers to Find You — Here's How to Go to Them Instead

In today's hyper-connected world, passive customer engagement is no longer enough — businesses must proactively deliver timely, relevant value within customers' existing digital journeys to truly stand out.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Living

Learn From Top Nonfiction Books Without Reading Them All With This App

Get caught up with 15-minute summaries of nonfiction best-sellers with Headway Premium.

Business News

Meta Is Reportedly Planning to Release New AI Smart Glasses With Oakley and Prada

The Oakley Meta AI glasses are expected to cost more than the Ray-Ban Metas.