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Indie label rights organization Merlin settles suit with Sirius for US$1.6M

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Merlin, an organization that negotiates rights for independent recording labels, said it has settled a long-running copyright feud with satellite radio company Sirius for US$1.6 million.

The settlement was over Sirius’ Stiletto recording device and follows Sirius’ settlement with major recording labels in 2007 and 2008.

Merlin had already settled a similar lawsuit with XM over its recordable radio receiver last year. Sirius and XM combined in July 2008 to form Sirius XM Radio Inc.

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Merlin says that artists on labels it represents account for about 10 per cent of the U.S. music market. It also says 10 per cent of music consumed on online streaming service Spotify was created by Merlin-represented artists.

Artists on labels it represents include Arcade Fire, Tom Waits and Neko Case.

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XM Canada is affiliated with XM Satellite Radio Holdings and Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (TSX:XSR), a publicly traded company based in Toronto.

Sirius Canada Inc. is a partnership of the government-owned CBC, privately held Standard Radio and U.S.-based Sirius Satellite Radio. The two Canadian partners each own 40 per cent and the U.S. company owns the remaining 20 per cent.

– With files from The Canadian Press

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