The Universal Vs. MySpace Battle: We’re Not Lawyers, But We’re Guessing That This Thing May Take A While

For those of you who think “Dumb Pipes” is the name of another NME-beloved new-rave outfit, check out this article in the Financial Times summarizing the ongoing feud between Universal and MySpace (to recap: Universal filed suit against the social-networking site in November, citing copyright infringement on the part of upload-crazed MySpacers). It’s a showdown that raises plenty of digital copyright questions–sexy digital copyright questions. To wit:

– Is the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act–which provides a “safe harbor” for networks that unknowingly host copyrighted material–completely outdated at this point? – Does MySpace knowingly allow its users to upload infringing material, or are they merely passive “dumb pipes,” twiddling their thumbs and whistling obliviously while someone puts up the new My Chemical Romance video? – How much of an impact will last year’s site-shuttering Grokster decision have on the lawsuit? – Could those homemade MySpace backdrops–the airbrushed T-shirts of the Internet–get any uglier? We get it: You like Tupac, and you also like Family Guy. No need to throw them all together in a blood-red crown of thorns.

Universal, MySpace set for landmark battle [Financial Times]