Last May, New Orleans jazz musician Paul Batiste sued hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for allegedly copying his works. Batiste claimed that Macklemore (real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty) and Lewis sampled his works on the duo’s biggest songs – …
Category archives: Copyright
Today in Copyright Infringement Lawsuits — Arty Sues Marshmello Over ‘Happier’
Arty’s copyright infringement lawsuit won’t make Marshmello any ‘Happier.’ Popular DJ Marshmello – real name Christopher Comstock – is now at the center of a new and controversial copyright infringement lawsuit. Filed at the United States District Cour…
Sony/ATV Ex-Chairman Marty Bandier: ‘I’ve Never Gotten a Call from [Spotify CEO] Daniel Ek’
He never wrote, he never called. Why didn’t Spotify CEO Daniel Ek reach out to music publishing’s biggest exec — even once? Earlier this week, Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s former Chairman & CEO, Marty Bandier, revealed the strange fact, part of a br…
Three Six Mafia’s DJ Paul Sues Travis Scott for $20 Million
Three Six Mafia’s DJ Paul has filed a $20 milion copyright infringement lawsuit against Travis Scott. Filed at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, DJ Paul – real name Paul Duane Beauregard – claims Scott’s ‘No Bystanders’ “b…
Performance Rights Disputes: What They Are, What Causes Them
For as long as recorded music has existed, so too have wrongful claims of ownership. Either as the result of ignorance or confusion, disputed claims continue to crop up in the recording industry again and again. Here we look at what causes the disputes, and what systems exist to resolve…
CD Baby Partners With Audible Magic To Identify Copyright Infringement
CD Baby has partnered with Audible Magic to identify content rights conflicts prior to delivery to Spotify, Apple Music and other digital service providers, ensuring that CD Baby remains a trusted distribution partner. CD Baby is currently one of a handful of distributors named as "preferred" partners by both Spotify…
CD Baby/Downtown Inks a Deal With Audible Magic for Pre-Release Copyright Protection
CD Baby just inked a partnership with Audible Magic to identify potential rights infringement claims on tracks before distribution. Infringement claims are becoming increasingly common and contentious. Now, CD Baby is hoping to address potential issue…
FLVTO.biz Issues a Fiery Response Brief Against the RIAA’s Court Appeal
At the beginning of this year, and in a shocking ruling, notorious Russian stream-ripper FLVTO.biz soundly defeated the major labels – led by the RIAA – in a U.S. federal courtroom. Industry observers had expected the RIAA – which represents Warner, So…
‘Lady Marmalade’ Co-Writer Sues Sony/ATV for $20 Million
Kenny Nolan, one of the songwriters behind the Patti LaBelle hit, ‘Lady Marmalade,’ has filed a $20 million lawsuit against Sony/ATV. According to the 60-page lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the music pu…
Zoe Keating: ‘Unrepresented songwriters deserve to be heard’
A battle is brewing on the songwriter front. Two organizations, the NMPA backed Music Licencing Collective (MLC) and the independent non-profit American Music Licensing Collective (ALMC) are vying to become the conduit for songwriter and publishing royalties from streamers like Spotify, as mandated by the new Music Modernization Act. Music…