Law School Case Briefs
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UMG Recordings, Inc. v. MP3. Com, Inc.
District Court, S.D. New York (2000) | 109 F. Supp. 2d 223; 56 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1374; 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12113; 2000 WL 1206739
TL;DR: A digital music service infringed copyrights by copying entire CDs. In calculating damages, the court ruled that each CD album is a single "work," not the multiple individual songs on it, significantly limiting the total statutory damages award.
Legal Significance: This case affirms that under the Copyright Act, a compilation (like a music album) constitutes a single "work" for statutory damages, regardless of the independent economic value or separate copyrightability of its constituent parts.