'Russia's Facebook' to be sued by top music labels over copyright violations

The "Facebook of Russia," Vkontakte, is going to face legal action from nine major music companies for unlawful distribution of some 6,000 tracks of licensed music on the site from artists like Madonna, Linkin Park, Metallica and Beyonce.

The lawsuits from music labels, including EMI, Sony and Warner, are being prepared for filing after the holidays, Tech Crunch reports.

According to the report, this is going to be the first big move from music rights holders to sue a major social networking site in the wake of a new anti-piracy law in the country designed to better protect copyright issues.

The new law, which was originally focused more on video content, was now being extended to include music as well in August 2013.

The law enforces improved communication by requiring site owners to provide easy-to-find contact details, including real-world addresses, and forms for rights holders to file complaints faster.

If a site fails to comply with an infringement complaint, it faces a block at the ISP level, the report added.