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Copyright Litigation Music Musical Sound Recordings

Womble Bond Dickinson

Brands & Influencers Beware! Popular Songs on Social Media at the Heart of Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

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Anyone who has ever browsed Instagram® or TikTok® (or any parent with phone-addicted kids) realizes that music is an integral part of short-form video social media. Content creators record a few minutes or even a few seconds...more

Kaufman & Canoles

Post Malone Stops Running in “Circles”

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Post Malone (real name Austin Post) has settled with Tyler Armes, a professional musician who had accused Malone of failing to credit him on his hit 2019 song “Circles.”...more

Kaufman & Canoles

TikTok Lawsuits Target Brands, Influencers

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The music industry has begun cracking down on brand owners’ and influencers’ unlicensed use of songs in social media posts through the filing of several lawsuits over the past few months. The lawsuits have largely targeted...more

Spirit Legal

Musikrecht: Urheber muss bearbeitetem Foto auf Albumcover zustimmen

Spirit Legal on

Die Verwendung fremder Fotografien kann urheberrechtlich problematisch sein. Das gilt auch, wenn fremde Bilder bearbeitet werden. Doch wann genau benötigt man die Erlaubnis des Urhebers für eine Bearbeitung und wann nicht?...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” Comes Out in Front: Ninth Circuit Affirms No Infringement in Copyright Lawsuit

Fenwick & West LLP on

Songs often share components that sound similar to one another, which frequently raises the question of whether copyright infringement has occurred. On March 10, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held—in a...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

“All the Way Up” to the Second Circuit

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

Fly Havana and Fat Joe are heading “All the Way Up” to the Second Circuit for “Another Round.” Earlier this month Fly Havana appealed New York District Court Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald’s conclusion that Fly Havana had...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

“Dark Horse” Copyright Claim Against Katy Perry - Hoofing it on a Stairway to Heaven?

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

We previously reported on the Marcus Gray, et al. (“Gray”) v. Katheryn Hudson, et al. (“Perry”) case on August 2nd and August 15th of 2019. When we initially reported the details of this case, Gray was awarded damages to...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

9th Circuit En Banc Ruling in Favor of Led Zeppelin in the "Stairway to Heaven" Case Immediately Impacts Copyright Cases

You've heard it, you likely love it, and it's probably the first melody that you ever tried to learn on the guitar to impress your friends. "Stairway to Heaven" has been called the greatest rock song of all time by music...more

Fish & Richardson

Led Zeppelin Paves the Way for Katy Perry

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We recently wrote about Led Zeppelin’s victory at the Ninth Circuit in the dispute over “Stairway to Heaven.” Although just a few weeks old, the decision has already been applied in a music case to find non-infringement,...more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

After A Long Climb, Led Zeppelin Prevails In The Stairway To Heaven Copyright Battle

Nearly 40 years after Led Zeppelin released Stairway to Heaven – viewed by many as one of the greatest rock songs of all time – Led Zeppelin was sued for copyright infringement. The estate of guitarist Randy Wolfe, who...more

Fish & Richardson

Led Zeppelin Victorious at the Ninth Circuit

Fish & Richardson on

The epic copyright infringement lawsuit against Led Zeppelin over the song “Stairway to Heaven” has reached another milestone – this time in favor of the legendary band. This case has been more like a long and winding road...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

“Pound Cake” Sampling Is Fair Use According to the Second Circuit

Robins Kaplan LLP on

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

Robins Kaplan LLP

Chris Cornell’s Widow Sues Soundgarden for Copyrights to Unreleased Songs

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The widow of the late Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell, has sued the band, its members, and business managers for copyright ownership of unreleased sound recordings and withholding royalties. ...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Court Sanctions Defendant for Failure to Preserve Text Messages in Copyright Infringement Suit Brought by Prince’s Estate

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

This is what it sounds like, when sanctions are granted. In March 2019, a federal judge in Minnesota sanctioned Defendants for their failure to preserve text messages in a copyright infringement suit brought in part by the...more

Hogan Lovells

Ninth Circuit holds that determination of copyright originality ill-suited for disposition on a motion to dismiss

Hogan Lovells on

The Ninth Circuit recently reversed the dismissal of copyright infringement claims in Hall v. Taylor Swift finding a lack of sufficient facts or evidence of record to justify a summary conclusion of lack of originality for...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

Who Owns Truth Hurts?

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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

International Lawyers Network

What’s Going On? Another Marvin Gaye Lawsuit Tests the Limits of Copyright Protection

Just when you thought it was over, another copyright infringement lawsuit involving a Marvin Gaye song is set for trial. The dust had barely settled on the infamous “Blurred Lines” case when a second suit, this time targeting...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

Stairway Opens for a Rehearing

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“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

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Stairway To Retrial: 9th Circuit Erases Jury Verdict in Favor of Led Zeppelin

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

As it turns out, all that glitters is not gold. Or at least that’s probably how Led Zeppelin feels after the 9th Circuit overturned a shiny jury verdict in favor of the iconic British rock band....more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Florida Now Follows New York to Find No Common Law Public Performance Right For Pre-1972 Sound Recordings

A few months ago, we brought to your attention a case initiated by The Turtles, seeking royalties in New York for the unauthorized performance of their pre-1972 sound recordings. In that decision, the Court of Appeals of New...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

The Southern District of New York Finds “Work Made For Hire” Under Italian Copyright Law

Musical scores incorporated into films are usually produced with the specific film in mind. In the U.S., we call such works “works made for hire,” meaning that the artist does not retain authorship rights to the music....more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

NY Common Law Does Not Provide Creators With Control Over Public Performances of Pre-1972 Sound Recordings

On December 20, 2016, the New York Court of Appeals (New York’s highest court) issued a landmark state copyright law decision, holding in response to a certified question from the Second Circuit in Flo & Eddie, Inc. v. Sirius...more

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