# pearLyrics shut down -- lyrics are a secret?



## jeb1138 (Dec 7, 2005)

http://www.pearworks.com/
pearLyircs looked up lyrics online and inserted them into iTunes.  **They got a cease and desist letter!!!**

This is totally insane.  Why in the world would the record industry shut down someone that was providing a service *benefitted* them?!?

There is just simply no good reason for this.  I often want to look at the lyrics of a song I heard and often that prompts me to buy the CD.  iTunes doesn't give me lyrics when I buy a song.  This is plain ridiculous.  We are not allowed to write down the words of a song that we hear?  Arg arg arg.

I just wish I had downloaded the latest version (0.6) before they got shut down!  Arg.


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## mindbend (Dec 8, 2005)

Just when I thought the legal wars couldn't get any stupider.


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## Satcomer (Dec 8, 2005)

Well I just had the latest and it no longer works! It is sad that something the just brought in Lyrics for iTunes songs was view by the RIAA as illegal and cutting into their profits. They have become so paranoid they are pushing their legal buying public into a love/hate relationship with music vendors. What are going to next, ban lyric web posting sites?


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## fryke (Dec 8, 2005)

To answer the thread's title: Not secret, but there's this thing called "copyright", may have heard about it...


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## chevy (Dec 8, 2005)

Yop, copyright is the reason. Songs belong to their author (and rights owners). I am not sure that's a smart move, I remember the good old time of 30 cm vinyl with complete lyrics on the inner cover. But that's their right, their choice.


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## chevy (Dec 8, 2005)

Indeed they could use lyrics availability to give some extra value to one or the other Internet distribution network.


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## ksv (Dec 8, 2005)

Indeed, lyrics are protected by international copyright conventions. You're free to download, copy and write them down for personal use (worldwide, not sure about the U.S. though), but redistribution is illegal without the copyright holder's permission.


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## jeb1138 (Dec 9, 2005)

mindbend said:
			
		

> Just when I thought the legal wars couldn't get any stupider.


Amen to that.



			
				Satcomer said:
			
		

> Well I just had the latest and it no longer works!


Really? I have the 0.5 widget and it's still working great.

I don't see what their point in doing this is. _Obviously_ they have the legal backing to say people can't redistribute their lyrics.  So what?  That doesn't explain this one at all.  3 reasons:
1.  I can't see anyone ever _paying_ to get the lyrics to a song they are interested in.
2.  I can't believe including lyrics in a purchase would make a pirate stop pirating,  even for one song.
3.  It's totally unenforceable.  How are they ever going to stop extremely small text files from being redistributed on the web?  Ridiculous.

All they will end up doing is destroying a service that enhanced their products (for FREE to them!!), threatening a few kind developers and making lots of customers mad.  What's the point?


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## jeb1138 (Dec 18, 2005)

Well, looks like the answer to this subject wasn't so *obvious* after all, eh?  PearLyrics has been issued an apology by the ones sending nasty legal letters. 

http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,69856,00.html

Hopefully this means PearLyrics will return in all its greatness.  I guess the music industry isn't *quite* so insane as I thought it might have become.


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## Satcomer (Dec 18, 2005)

I find it weird that someone in the music business actually admitted a mistake and issued a sort of apology. Mark my words when I say the lyrics portion will be the the issue music companies will push for higher prices for songs on iTMS. I can see it in my mind's eye.


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