Source: Android Central
What you need to know
- Genius (formerly Rap Genius) is suing Google for copying its version of song lyrics.
- Genius previously asked Google to stop, but has proof the practice continued.
- The suit asks for at least $50 million in damages.
Lyrics and annotation web site Genius, formerly known as Rap Genius, is suing Google over allegations the search company directly copied song lyrics from Genius' site then repackaged them as Google search results.
Since 2014, Genius has had a deal with music publishers that allows the company to make lyrics available. Google apparently ripped off the exact text from the Genius page, including strange spacing and apostrophe placements that acted as a digital fingerprint and allowed Genius to track the theft. Genius originally complained about the practice in June.
This week, WSJ reports that Genius is suing both Google and LyricFind, the third-party company that Google contracts to generate its lyrics query results. The suit was filed in Brooklyn and Genius is asking for a minimum of $50 million in damages.
The question will be whether the Genius deal to publish lyrics allows the company to actually own the copy of the lyrics it publishes. Genius claims the move caused the site to lose traffic, saying that Google's actions were anti-competitive. While Google hasn't responded, LyricFind spokespeople were quoted calling the lawsuit "frivolous and without merit."
Google and Genius have a sordid past, but this is Genius' first turn playing the victim. In 2013, the site gamed Google search results, leading Google to take the rare move of temporarily downlisting the site on its search pages, crushing the site's traffic. Genius says that Google's recent moves caused massive drops, citing a Selena Gomez track that dropped from a 75% clickthrough from Google search to a 5% clickthrough after Google started posting the Genius lyrics directly.
Music and Lyrics
Spotify Premium
All the music, none of the ads
Spotify is the number one music streaming service out there. Sign up for the premium service to make it even better with no ads and offline playback, then download lyrics thanks to Spotify's partnership with Genius.
Have you listened to this week's Android Central Podcast?
Every week, the Android Central Podcast brings you the latest tech news, analysis and hot takes, with familiar co-hosts and special guests.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Here's every U.S. city with 5G coverage right now
5G deployment is moving fast and the list of cities with coverage is growing all the time. See if your U.S. city has coverage yet by Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T.
The Last of Us Part II has been delayed again, will launch at a later date
Today, Sony issued a statement confirming that The Last of Us Part II and Iron Man VR have been delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. There are no new release dates and the games will become available at a later time.
How to turn an old Android phone into a security camera
Have an old Android phone lying around that you don't know what to do with? Here's how you can repurpose it and turn it into a security camera!
Use these messaging apps to keep up with your friends and family
With all our phones can do these days, communicating with them can sometimes be forgotten in lieu of games, videos, and practicing your selfie game. Get back in touch with your friends and family with these messaging apps. And some of these include some of those games so you can play along with whoever you're messaging.
