Rock website countersues music labels

A rock archive website is fighting back against a copyright lawsuit brought by some of music's most famous rock acts.

In December, Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead, Santana and The Doors sued Wolfgang's Vault claiming that the website violates intellectual property rights by selling merchandise and streaming concert archives belonging to the musicians.

In response, Wolfgang's Vault recently filed a 40-page counterclaim against the musicians and their labels, Sony BMG and Warner Music Group.

"Far from being about bootlegging, consumer confusion or infringement of any sort, this case is actually a blatant attempt by two of the largest record labels in the world - using artists as a front - to secure new income streams and destroy a legitimate business," the suit says.

It also alleges that the two record companies unsuccessfully sought to negotiate licences to the concert footage, and when that was not possible, "conspired with each other to concoct fictitious legal claims in an effort to appropriate for themselves the use of musical recordings through an abuse of this judicial process."

The lineage and ownership of the concert recordings figures to be a contentious topic in the case. A trial date has not been set.

In the 1960s, legendary concert promoter Bill Graham put on numerous concerts at the Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco and the Fillmore East in New York featuring artists such as Bob Marley, The Who, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, and Miles Davis.