Prince Threatens Fan Web Sites With Lawsuit

Hollywood, CA (AHN) - The singer Prince is attempting to silence Web sites run by fans, threatening lawsuits if photos, lyrics and album artwork are not removed from the Internet.

Prince Fans United, a coalition of online fan sites, said the move is designed to stifle critical comments. The group, composed of housequake.com, Princefams.com and Prince.org, say they've receive cease-and-desist letters.

The firm hired by Prince to go after the sites, U.K.-based Web Sheriff, denies the action is an attack on the singer's fans.

An anonymous Prince Fans United spokesman told the BBC 80 percent of the photos on the sites are not copyrighted by the singer.

In September, Prince sued YouTube, demanding video clips of a London concert be removed.