After suffering a major defeat against the RIAA, LimeWire is now battling another suit from major publishers.  EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Bug Music, MPL Music Publishing, Peermusic, and the Richmond Organization are all listed as plaintiffs in court documents, a group coordinated by the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA).  The suit was confirmed Wednesday by the NMPA to Digital Music News ahead of the formal court filing.<!–more–>

Just like the RIAA’s action, the suit not only targets LimeWire LLC and its parent Lime Group LLC, but also founder Mark Gorton, former CTO/COO Greg Bildson, and an entity referred to as the “M.J.G. LimeWire Family Limited Partnership.”  The inclusion of the Partnership suggests that, like the RIAA, the NMPA consortium is very serious about pursuing individual liabilities, including accounts that may be squirreling personal and business funds.

In a discussion with Digital Music News, NMPA president David Israelite noted that publishers bring unique issues to the table, beyond the big label action.  And this goes well beyond the big guys.  ”The NMPA represents 2,548 publishers, 2,544 of whom are not represented in any way in the RIAA suit,” Israelite relayed, while underscoring the importance of the participation of the four largest publishers. “In any future settlement that involves future licensing, the RIAA is not in a position to negotiate licensing terms for the entire songwriting and publishing industry.”

Several hours after the filing, LimeWire CEO George Searle responded by inviting publishers to participate in a future, legitimized version of LimeWire.  ”We definitely want publishers at the table,” Searle told Digital Music News. “We have had many promising meetings with labels, publishers, songwriters and artists alike about our new music service and a business model that will compensate the entire industry. Publishers are absolutely a part of that solution, and we’re hopeful that this action will serve as a catalyst to help us get to there.”