Sony, EMI, Universal Music and BMG are being sued by a Belgian consumer watchdog after more than 200 consumers complained that they could not make back-up copies of copy-protected CDs or play them on some CD players.

Copy-protected CDs represent one response by the music industry to the growth in music piracy. The CDs contain an extra layer of data that prevents the disc from being successfully copied and restricts the types of players that the CD can play on to static or portable Hi-Fi systems.

Four of the five major record companies have been taken to court by Belgium-based Test-Achats, also known as Test-Aankoop. The watchdog is asking the court to prohibit the four music giants from releasing CDs containing copy-protection technology and to refund their customers.

Reuters quotes Mechels Ivo of Test-Achats saying: "We are trying to establish legal precedent in this matter. Then we expect other consumer organizations will follow".

In response, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), a trade group for the industry, commented: "European law is clear that record companies and other copyright holders have the right to protect their works through technical means".

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