Drake prevails again – this time at the Second Circuit. On February 3, 2020, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Drake, finding that his use of a...more
2/11/2020
/ Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Ownership ,
Digital Sampling ,
Exclusive Licenses ,
Fair Use ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Music ,
Music Industry ,
Musical Sound Recordings ,
Sound Recording Copyrights ,
Summary Judgment
Sometimes the truth hurts – but what is the truth here?
On October 23, Melissa Jefferson, professionally known as Lizzo, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court in Los Angeles seeking a declaratory judgment...more
“There’s still time to change the road you’re on,” Led Zeppelin says, hoping a 2016 jury verdict in its favor will be reinstated. On June 10, an 11-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit announced that it would rehear a copyright...more
“I feel glorious, glorious,” Macklemore is saying. On Tuesday, April 23, a Louisiana federal judge in the Fifth Circuit dismissed a 2017 lawsuit claiming that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis unlawfully sampled Paul Batiste’s sound...more
By now, most of you have seen both or one of Netflix or Hulu’s documentaries detailing the ill-fated music festival that was supposed to take place on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas during the spring of 2017. ...more
1/31/2019
/ Arrangement and Promotion ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Fraud ,
Influencers ,
Liquidation ,
Music ,
Music Industry ,
Public Venues ,
Scams ,
Social Media ,
Third-Party ,
Wire Fraud
The year didn’t start on a high note for Ed Sheeran. Back in 2016, Sheeran was sued by the heirs of “Let’s Get It On” (LGO) co-writer, Ed Townsend, who accused Sheeran of copying several elements of LGO in his 2014 hit,...more
Taylor Swift just signed a new record deal that will likely influence the ways in which other artists negotiate with labels....more
Rapper Tyler, the Creator (“Tyler”), is facing a lawsuit for copyright infringement, which alleges he illegally sampled a 1971 soul song, “Why Can’t There Be Love,” in his 2015 hit, “Deathcamp.” ...more
4/3/2018
/ Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Damages ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
Digital Sampling ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Music ,
Music Industry ,
Sound Recording Copyrights ,
Statutory Damages
The estate of Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, reigned supreme last week in the Southern District of New York after U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan dismissed a copyright suit...more
Andre Romelle Young, a.k.a Dr. Dre, was awarded partial summary judgement after a Kentucky federal judge found the hip-hop mogul and NWA member not liable for copyright infringement of plaintiff’s sound recording. ...more
Demi Lovato, Idina Menzel, and Disney are amongst the defendants who were sued over the hit song, “Let It Go,” featured in the popular 2013 Disney film, Frozen....more
11/30/2017
/ Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Disney ,
Film Industry ,
Injunctions ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Movies ,
Music ,
Music Industry ,
Restitution
Same song, different lawsuit. Music producer Mark Ronson is battling another lawsuit over his hit single, “Uptown Funk,” this time, accusing him of using elements of Zapp & Roger’s (“Zapp”) 1980 funk track, “More Bounce to...more