PRINCE TO SUE FAN WEBSITES

He's a singer who has made some odd career moves in his time, from changing his name to an unpronounceable love symbol to scrawling "slave" on his cheek in protest at his record company. But industry experts yesterday warned that PRINCE's latest decision might be the most controversial of all, writes U.K.'s GUARDIAN. He has threatened to sue thousands of his biggest fans for breach of copyright, provoking an angry backlash and claims of censorship.

PRINCE's lawyers have forced his three biggest internet fansites to remove all photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to the artist's likeness. A legal letter asks the fansites to provide "substantive details of the means by which you propose to compensate our clients (PAISLEY PARK ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, NPG RECORDS and AEG) for damages".

The singer himself is believed to take a close interest in unofficial use of his image and music, monitoring websites from his sprawling PAISLEY PARK studio complex in MINNEAPOLIS.

A coalition named PRINCE FANS UNITED, representing HOUSEQUAKE.COM, PRINCEFANS.COM and PRINCE.ORG, has been formed by the website organisers to fight back. They said they would contest the action on the basis that it was an attempt "to stifle all critical commentary about PRINCE". They added that the "cease and desist" notices went as far as calling for the removal of pictures taken by fans of their PRINCE tattoos and their vehicles carrying PRINCE-inspired licence plates.

WOMAN FIGHTS PRINCE'S 'CRAZY' YOUTUBE CRACKDOWN

A woman whose 29-second video clip of her baby dancing to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" was removed from YouTube for copyright infringement filed a counter notice and was allowed to re-post the footage, reports ABC News.

As previously reported, Prince hired legal muscle Web Sherriff in September to go after YouTube, Ebay and other Web sites to scrub them clean of his music and video footage. Three months earlier, Stephanie Lenz received an email from YouTube saying that her footage was removed at the request of Universal Music Publishing Group, and that she could have her YouTube account canceled in the event of any future copyright infringements.

In response to Universal's move, Lenz filed a "counter-notice" and her video was restored six weeks later, TMZ reports. YouTube explained to ABC that they are bound by provisions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to honor all takedown and counter-notices.

In a statement released to ABC, Universal said, "Prince believes it is wrong for YouTube, or any user-generated site, to appropriate his music without his consent ... It's simply a matter of principle."

PRINCE SUED OVER HARD DRIVES

Prince is being sued in Los Angeles Superior Court by a man who claims he took 12 AVID hard drives without bothering to pay the bill.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday (Oct. 17) against Prince, his record label and fan club Web site, Ian Lewis says the singer took 12 AVID IS SCSI Shuttle Drives worth about $12,000, reports TMZ.com.

In addition, Lewis claims that he also loaned a $25,000 computer to the superstar that was returned by his people "in a broken and un-fixable condition," according to TMZ.

Lewis is seeking damages to be determined at trial and exemplary damages that total $1 million.