Bootleggers gave in to pressure, attorney says in statement

Jan 29, 2014 16:57 GMT  ·  By
Prince sued 22 fans for $22 million (€16.2 million) for posting links to bootlegged versions of his live shows
   Prince sued 22 fans for $22 million (€16.2 million) for posting links to bootlegged versions of his live shows

The other day, singer Prince went to war against fans who had shared links to his live concerts on Facebook and personal blogs, asking for $22 million (€16.2 million) in damages because the links were to unauthorized material that had been uploaded online.

Today, Prince’s management announced that the lawsuit had been dropped, not because the very idea of going to war against your own fans was ridiculous but because he had changed his mind.

In a statement to TMZ, an attorney for the iconic singer explains that the lawsuit was dropped because all the bootleg versions of the live events had been successfully pulled down.

“Because of the recent pressure, the bootleggers have now taken down the illegal downloads and are no longer engaging in piracy. We recognize the fans craving for as much material as possible, but we’d prefer they get it from us directly than from third parties who are scalpers rather than real fans of our work,” the attorney says.

Somehow, I’m sure sending a cease and desist letter to the fans (22 in number) who had shared the links would have had the same results – and at the same time, made for a less messy situation.