Published Saturday, November 07, 2009 12:06 AM

2 Web sites' song sales enjoined

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge has temporarily blocked two music-sharing Web sites from selling songs by The Beatles and other artists for 25 cents apiece.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter on Thursday blocked BlueBeat.com and Basebeat.com and owner Hank Risan from selling copyrighted songs by The Beatles and others.

Music company EMI Group filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking an injunction against the sites, arguing that they were engaging in music piracy. Its complaint states that BlueBeat.com and Basebeat.com were offering the recently released digitally remasters of The Beatles' catalog for 25 cents per song; the box set of 13 albums retails for $250.

The Beatles songs have never been legally offered for sale online through sites such as iTunes or other music-sharing services.

The Web site's attorney opposed EMI's injunction request, saying the sites were selling altered versions of the songs.

The label did not immediately respond to an e-mail message seeking comment. A phone message left for Risan's attorney on Friday elicited no immediate response.

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