NetEase's Cloud Music sues Tencent Music, claims unfair competition (updated)

Netease Cloud Music

27/04/2022 04:52

(Adds details)
    HONG KONG/BEIJING, April 27 (Reuters) - NetEase's  NTES.O 
Cloud Music unit has sued Tencent Music Entertainment (TME)
 TME.N , accusing it of unfair competition and plagiarising its
app design, the company said on Wednesday.
    The move is the latest development in a long-running rivalry
between the two Chinese tech giants who are vying to add users
and sign popular musicians.  
    Features of TME’s suite of music streaming apps allowed its
users to sidestep copyright protection and play songs licensed
by NetEase Cloud Music, the company said, accusing TME of
copying the design and some features of its app.
    "We urge TME to immediately rectify its products and
businesses and stop all behaviours of unfair competition,"
NetEase Cloud Music said in a statement on its account on the
Weibo social media platform. 
    TME and its parent, Tencent, did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.  
    Last year, Tencent was fined on anti-trust grounds and
barred from signing exclusive music copyright pacts, prompting
it to end all such deals.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2Q20Z1

 (Reporting by Josh Ye in Hong Kong, Yingzhi Yang and Brenda
Goh; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Clarence Fernandez)
 ((Yingzhi.Yang@thomsonreuters.com; +861056692133;))