NO BOOTLEGGER ZONE: Prince filed to sue internet users believed to be his fans, accusing them of sharing bootlegs of his concerts. The musician demanded $1m each from the owners of websites and Facebook pages that he claims enabled the free distribution of recordings of his concerts.
The mostly anonymous defendants were accused of engaging in "massive infringement and bootlegging of Prince's material", with each web page contributing to "up to thousands of separate acts of infringement and bootlegging". The targets were't bootleg factories in Asia or eastern Europe, but websites with links to download decades-old live recordings.
Together, Prince's lawyers allege, these websites "constitute an interconnected network of bootleg distribution which is able to broadly disseminate unauthorised copies of Prince's musical compositions and live performances". The plaintiffs cited shared bootlegs such as Prince's 24 March 2011 performance in Charlotte, North Carolina, his 24 April 2002 show in Oakland, California, and a 10 April 1983 concert in Chicago.
Needless to say, the lawsuit was dropped shortly after it was filed, because of the pressure, the bootleggers rook down the illegal downloads and were no longer engaging in piracy. Prince made amends with his fans when he allowed his tickets to go on sell for $10 that week.








