Rapper Snoop Dogg Finalizes Deal with Reservoir Media for Entire Catalog and More.
September 24, 2024
Rapper Snoop Dogg has struck significant new publishing administration deals with Reservoir Media, covering both his entire music catalog, future works, and the publishing rights of Death Row Records. The deal also includes legendary songs like 2Pac’s “Hail Mary” and “I Ain’t Mad At Cha.”
Snoop, who acquired Death Row Records in 2022, has been actively revitalizing the iconic label, even temporarily removing its catalog from streaming platforms before reintroducing it in early 2023. Reservoir’s deal with Snoop builds on his efforts to expand the label’s publishing arm and maintain its historical significance. This deal adds to Reservoir’s history of acquiring significant music rights, including recent acquisitions of the catalogs of Billy Strange, Big D Evans, and Mannie Fresh.
Tags: Catalog Sale
Court Denies Pop Singer Dua Lipa’s Motion to Dismiss over Copyright Infringement of “Levitating” remixes.
September 24, 2024
A copyright infringement suit against pop singer Dua Lipa and Warner Music Group over her hit song “Levitating” will proceed, following a failed attempt to have the case dismissed. Bosko Kante, a producer and talkbox artist, filed the suit last year in the Central District of California, alleging that his talkbox recording was used without permission in three remixes of the song. While Kante agreed to its use in the original version of “Levitating,” no consent was given for the remixes.
Kante is seeking at least $2 million in damages, as well as profits from the remixes, which are estimated to be at least $20 million. It is important to note that the remix featuring rapper DaBaby has surpassed the popularity of the original, amassing over 2 billion streams on Spotify.
Lipa and her team argued for dismissal, claiming that Kante had failed to show “substantial similarity” between his work and the remixes. However, U.S. District Court Judge Hernan D. Vera rejected this argument, stating that Kante’s allegation that “all or substantially all” of his voice was used was sufficient at this stage.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Unauthorized Use.
T.I. and Tiny Win $71M Verdict in Lawsuit Over OMG Girlz Dolls
September 24, 2024
Atlanta rapper T.I. and his wife, Tiny, secured a $71 million jury verdict against MGA, claiming the company’s “O.M.G.” dolls copied the likeness of the OMG Girlz, a musical group created by Tiny. The creator of the dolls, Isaac Larian, argues that the dolls were not made to resemble the members of the group and that the group did not lose any business opportunities because of the toys. The jury found that MGA infringed on their trade dress and likeness rights, awarding $17.9 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages. MGA is expected to appeal the decision.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Verdict
Rapper Ice Spice Settles Copyright Lawsuit Over “In Ha Mood”
September 23, 2024
Rapper Ice Spice has reached a settlement to resolve a copyright lawsuit brought by Brooklyn rapper D.Chamberz, who alleged that her 2023 hit “In Ha Mood” was strikingly similar to his 2021 track “In That Mood.” D.Chamberz had claimed that Ice Spice’s song shared core elements with his track, including beat, lyrics, and structure. The suit was filed in the Eastern District of New York in January 2024. While the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, the agreement brings an end to the legal dispute.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Settlement
Rapper Nelly Sued by St. Lunatics Members Over Alleged Unpaid Royalties and Song Credits on Country Grammar
September 19, 2024
Rapper Nelly is being sued by members of his St. Lunatics crew, who allege that they were cut out of credits and royalties for their work on his 2000 album Country Grammar. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York, claims that Nelly “manipulated” them into believing they would be compensated, but failed to deliver. The group is seeking credit for songs, including “Country Grammar” and “Ride Wit Me.”
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Songwriting Credit, Royalties
California Enacts Two Bills Strengthening the Regulation of AI Use
September 17, 2024
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills regulating the use of AI-generated digital replicas of performers, AB 2602 and AB 1836, into law at SAG-AFTRA’s headquarters. The legislation requires legal representation and specific consent for the use of a performer’s digital likeness, including deceased performers’ estates.
AB 2602 prevents hiring parties from including a term in contracts with performers that would permit the hiring party to use a digital replica of the performer in place of an in-person performance unless the performer has been informed of the intended use and is represented by legal counsel or a union during negotiations. The intended use must be “reasonably specific.” AB 1836 requires entertainment employers to obtain consent from a deceased performer’s estate before using a digital replica of that person. It also refines the “expressive works” exemption in California’s postmortem right of publicity laws to address AI-generated replicas.
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Tags: AI, Legislation, SAG-AFTRA
Miley Cyrus Sued Over “Flowers” for Allegedly Copying Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man”
September 17, 2024
Miley Cyrus faces a lawsuit claiming her hit “Flowers” infringes on Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” The suit filed by in the Central District of California by Tempo Music Investments, alleges “striking similarities” between the two songs, beyond their lyrical parallels. Tempo Music Investments bought a share of the copyright of Bruno Mars’ song from one of the co-writers credited on the song. The suit argues that the melodies, harmonic structure, and bass-line in “Flowers” copy elements of Mars’ track.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright
Judge Rules Donald Trump Infringed Copyright by Using Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” in Campaign Video
September 13, 2024
Federal Judge John G. Koeltl has ruled that Donald Trump violated copyright laws by using Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” in a 2020 campaign video without permission. The lawsuit was filed in 2020 in the Southern District of New York. Despite Trump’s claims that his campaign’s use of the song was protected under fair use, the court rejected this defense stating the video did not transform the work or parody Grant’s song. The ruling holds Trump and his campaign liable for copyright infringement, though the amount of damages owed to Grant will be decided in future proceedings.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Unauthorized Use
BMI Takes SiriusXM to Court Over Low Royalty Rates
September 12, 2024
BMI has filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, arguing the company is underpaying songwriters despite the shift toward digital streaming. The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York. BMI claims that SiriusXM’s expansion into more profitable streaming services should result in higher royalty rates, as music streaming platforms generally pay more than satellite radio. For the last two years BMI and Sirius XM have been in unsuccessful negotiations. Now BMI seeks a court-ordered adjustment to reflect this business change.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Unauthorized Use
Johnson & Johnson Sued Over Alleged Unlicensed Use of Music in Videos
September 9, 2024
Johnson & Johnson faces a lawsuit from Associated Production Music (APM), accusing the company of using nearly 80 unlicensed tracks in online videos. APM, a joint venture of Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing, claims that despite repeated warnings, J&J continued to use its production music without proper licensing. The lawsuit was filed in the South District of New York. APM seeks damages, with potential penalties reaching up to $150,000 per song, which could total nearly $12 million.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Unauthorized Use
Rock Band, The White Stripes, Sue Donald Trump for Unauthorized Use of “Seven Nation Army” in Campaign Video
September 9, 2024
Rock band, The White Stripes, have filed a copyright lawsuit against Donald Trump for using their hit “Seven Nation Army” in a campaign video without permission. The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, claims Trump’s use of the song suggests the band supports his presidential campaign, which they vehemently oppose. This legal action follows numerous other artists’ complaints against Trump for unauthorized use of their music. The band seeks damages and an injunction to prevent further use of their song. This is one of several legal actions filed against Donald Trump for the unauthorized use of music by major artists.
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Tags: Litigation, Copyright, Unauthorized Use
Verizon Seeks Dismissal of Major Labels’ Piracy Lawsuit, Calls Allegations “Legally Deficient”
September 6, 2024
Verizon is pushing to dismiss a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York by Universal, Warner, and Sony, which alleges that the telecom giant ignored piracy on its network. On September 5, Verizon filed a motion to dismiss arguing that internet service providers should not be held liable for users’ actions, criticizing the labels’ lawsuit as following a faulty legal precedent set in prior cases. Verizon highlights a recent Supreme Court ruling that supports its position, stating that merely providing internet access doesn’t imply culpability for users’ copyright violations.
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Tags: Litigation
Spotify Granted Summary Judgment Over Eminem’s Streaming Royalties Case
September 5, 2024
Judge Aleta A. Trauger has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Eminem’s publisher, Eight Mile Style, which accused Spotify of illegally streaming the rapper’s songs without proper licensing. The suit was filed in the Middle District of Tennessee. Eight Mile Style claimed that despite Spotify’s acknowledgment of the necessity to secure rights for reproduction and distribution, they failed to comply with statutory licensing requirements and provided misleading royalty statements. Judge Trauger however ruled that Eight Mile Style deliberately allowed infringement to continue in order to build a more lucrative case. When Judge Trauger dismissed the case on summary judgment she stated “While Spotify’s handling of composer copyrights appears to have been seriously flawed, any right to recover damages based on those flaws belongs to those innocent rights holders who were genuinely harmed, not ones who, like Eight Mile Style, had every opportunity to set things right and simply chose not to do so for no apparent reason, other than that being the victim of infringement pays better than being an ordinary licensor.” The ruling also cleared Spotify of liability, stating that Kobalt, a third-party licensing company, would have actually been responsible for any damages Eight Mile Style claimed.
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Tags: Royalties, Litigation, Steaming Services
Rock Band “The Guess Who” Settle Legal Battle Over Band Name Rights
September 4, 2024
Original members of 1960’s rock band, The Guess Who, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, have settled a lawsuit with fellow bandmates Jim Kale and Garry Peterson over the trademark rights to the band’s name. The lawsuit was filed in the Central District of California. The settlement gives Bachman and Cummings full control of the band’s name, ending a dispute where they claimed Kale and Peterson were operating a “cover band.” The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, marking the resolution of another classic rock band trademark dispute.
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Tags: Trademarks, Band Name Disputes, Settlement, Litigation
North Carolina Musician Indicted for Using AI to Commit Streaming Fraud, Earning $10M
September 4, 2024
Michael Smith, a North Carolina musician, has been indicted for using AI to generate hundreds of thousands of songs and fraudulently collect over $10 million in streaming royalties.
The federal indictment alleges Smith created bot accounts and manipulated streaming platforms to inflate plays. The indictment also claims Smith collaborated with an AI company’s CEO to create large volumes of AI-generated music, using false statements to evade detection from platforms like Spotify and the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC).
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Tags: We anticipate doing a full a blog on this issue as it develops.
Isaac Hayes Estate Wins Injunction Against Trump Campaign Over Song Use at Rallies
September 3, 2024
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing former President Donald Trump and his campaign from using Isaac Hayes’ song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at rallies. This followed a lawsuit filed by Hayes’ estate in the Northern District of Georgia, accusing Trump of using the song without proper licensing. The Hayes’ estate also filed claims for copyright infringement, Lanham Act violations, and right of publicity violations.
The estate argued that the unauthorized use of the 1966 hit violated copyright and trademark laws, falsely suggesting Hayes’ endorsement of Trump’s campaign through the unlawful performance of the copyrighted work at least 133 times since 2020 at various events, with each instance constituting an unlicensed public performance.
While Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr, who is overseeing the case, prohibited future use of the song at rallies; he denied a broader request to remove videos featuring the song from past events. Trump’s campaign claimed it had already stopped using the song and initially relied on a blanket license from BMI, a licensing company. However, the Hayes estate said it had withdrawn the song from BMI’s catalog in June and informed the campaign.
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Tags: Copyright, Unauthorized Use,