DOJ Filing in Music Rights Lawsuit Is 'About Face,' NAB Says

The court “owes no deference” to DOJ Antitrust Division supporting Global Music Right’s lawsuit against the Radio Music License Committee, said NAB in an amicus brief Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. “It is unorthodox for the Department to intercede in private litigation, especially at the pleading stage.” DOJ (see 1912190052) doesn't explain the “striking shift” from its previous stance on performance rights organizations, NAB said. The industry “has been under active Department supervision for decades” so Justice's sudden interest in whether RMLC is anticompetitive is “an about face” that's “unjustified and unwarranted,” the association said: Dismiss GMR's claims.