The rules that govern how ASCAP and BMI collect fees for songwriters and music publishers date back to a deal the pair made with the US Department of Justice in 1941. The DoJ recently said that it is reviewing those consent decrees and may end them. Today, the two PROs…
Category archives: Copyright
Fortnite Faces Yet Another Dance-Related Infringement Suit — This Time for Using ‘The Running Man’
Epic Games is facing yet another lawsuit over its use of a dance in the wildly popular online game, Fortnite. This time, two former University of Maryland basketball players are suing over the use of the ‘Running Man’ emote in the game, which you can s…
After a Stunning Defeat, Universal Music, Warner Music, and Sony Music File an Appeal Against FLVTO.biz
It was a shocking loss against a shadowy YouTube ‘stream-ripper’. Now, major labels Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment are appealing a quick defeat at the hands of Russia-based stream-ripper FLVTO.biz. The major la…
R.E.M. Forces the Removal of a Pro-Trump Video Meme on Twitter — Including the President’s Retweet
R.E.M. riled up a bunch of Trump trolls on social media this weekend. The band took issue with its music being used in a meme video. But unlike many other protests from prominent artists, R.E.M. (and their reps at Universal Music Group) actually got t…
‘Carlton Dance’ Too Simple To Copyright says Copyright Office
In a setback in actor and dance innovator Alfonso Ribeiro’s battle against game creators, the U.S. Copyright Office has ruled that his “Carlton Dance” cannot be copyrighted. According to an email obtained by CBS, the Copyright Office rejected Riberio’s copyright for the dance saying that it represented a “simple dance…
U.S. Copyright Office Refuses to Issue a Copyright on The Carlton Dance from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Alfonso Ribeiro recently submitted a copyright registration application for his iconic ‘Carlton Dance,’ but now he’s facing trouble in court. The dance became famous after Ribeiro’s character Carlton performed the moves in an episode of The Fresh Princ…
A $300 Million Copyright Lawsuit Against Miley Cyrus Moves Forward
Miley Cyrus can’t yet stop Michael May’s lawsuit. Last March, Michael May, a Jamaican dancehall artist better known as Flourgon, filed a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus. He claims that the female pop singer stole a single lyric from his 1988 track, ‘We Run…
Looks Like the ‘New’ Article 13 Is Drawing Industry Approval — GEMA, PRS, Impala All Saying ‘Yes’
Music industry in-fighting is now giving way to group hugging. Yesterday, we first reported that a brand-new Copyright Directive had been approved in the European Union. The Directive, which contains the controversial Article 13, is now being shuttled…
Fortnite Claps Back Against Dance Move Lawsuits: ‘No One Can Own a Dance Step’
Remember that lawsuit filed by 2 Milly against Epic Games for the dances featured in Fortnite? Epic has responded by asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the dance in question isn’t even copying Milly Rock. Epic’s lawyers claim that the dance …
Kanye West Used a Sample of a Child Praying In ‘Ultralight Beam’ — Now the Child’s Parents Are Suing
Kanye West is being sued over his unauthorized use of a little girl praying for his track ‘Ultralight Beam.’ Another murky copyright issue is coming to the fore — with none other than Kanye caught in the middle. At the center of this fight is ‘Ultralig…