A federal judge on Monday narrowed a lawsuit by EMI Group and other record companies that accused MP3tunes LLC of letting users copy their songs. U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan said MP3tunes and its chief executive, Michael Robertson, did not violate the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act in permitting downloads, except as to songs specifically identified as having been pirated.

He said it was users rather than MP3tunes that were responsible for any infringements.

MP3tunes is a cloud music service that lets users store music in online "lockers."

Pauley found the defendants liable for "contributory" copyright infringement for songs where notices of alleged infringement were provided. He also said Robertson was liable for having personally transferred songs from unauthorized websites.

You can read the complete Judge's order here