The irony of this one won’t be lost on consumers.  After years of lecturing and lawsuits by the recording industry about the sins of copyright infringement, the tables are turned in this class-action lawsuit. 

The estate of jazz musician Chet Baker has sued the major record labels – Sony BMG Music, EMI Music, Universal and Warner Music – for copyright infringement claims that, if proven, may add up to significant damages. [Link to story and PDF of the claim] The claim alleges that the record industry has a backlog list of hundreds of thousands of songs which were published but for which copyright royalties were never negotiated or paid.  Using the metrics of statutory damages, each instance of infringement may attract a flat $20,000 liability for the recording industry, which means 300,000 songs create a potential $6 billion damage award.

This one will be closely watched in 2010.

Calgary – 10:00 MST