Universal Music Group (UMG) has settled its copyright infringement case against independent music company Believe and its affiliate TuneCore, a services and distrbution company for self-released artists. The two parties filed on April 3 a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, calling on the court for the dismissal "of all claims," and informing the judge that each party "will bear their own costs and fees." No other detail...

Michael Smith, a US individual who was accused of defrauding music streaming platforms and rights holders of royalty payments, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before US District Judge John G. Koeltl, from the District Court for Southern District of New York. Smith also agreed to pay $8,091,843.64 in forfeiture. The offence carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Koeltl on July 29, 2026. This is one of the most pr...

Belgium's Constitutional Court has affirmed on March 26 the validity of the country's implementation decree of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS), which introduced obligations for video streaming platforms to contribute to the financing of local content. Netflix challenged the decree in court. The Court rejected most of Netflix's criticisms in its appeal to annul the AVMS decree, which included the mandatory contribution system for audiovisual production. The Court also referred pre...