MP3 Resales Constitute Copyright Infringement, U.S. Appeals Court Rules

The United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with copyright owners and has confirmed that the resale of MP3s online is not protected by the first-sale doctrine. Instead, the reproduction and sale of an MP3 is considered copyright infring…

EU’s Advocate General Calls Use of Uncleared Samples Copyright Infringement

Kraftwerk has just received a major boost in its case against rapper Moses Pelham over a 2-second song sample. According to German band Kraftwerk, rapper and hip-hop music producer Moses Pelham outright stole a two-second sequence from the 1977 track ‘…

Copyright Flipped On Its Head: A Creators Perspective

Neil Turkewitz challenges some of the common narratives that have recently been spread regarding copyright, including the idea that copyright limits freedom of expression for artists, and works to the advantage of the already rich and powerful. __________________________ Guest post by Neil Turkewitz from Medium Over the course of the…

Rapper 2 Milly Sues Epic Games for Stealing His ‘Milly Rock’ Dance In Fortnite

Rapper 2 Milly has a serious problem with the world’s most popular game. The Brooklyn rapper has filed a lawsuit against Epic Games for using his signature “Milly Rock” dance as DLC for Fortnite.  The Milly Rock dance was first featured in a 2014 video…

LL Cool J Files Lawsuit Against Rock the Bells Music Festival

‘Rock the Bells’ made LL Cool J famous.  Now, he’s willing to stop any infringement of the name. LL Cool J has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the Rock the Bells music festival. Thirty-three years ago, the rapper released ‘Rock the Bells…

5 Copyright Cases Every Songwriter Should Be Aware Of

Following the 2016’s landmark "Blurred Lines" case, the music business has seen an uptick in the number of copyright infringement cases it’s been hit with. Still, the industry is no stranger to legal squabbles. Here we look at five iconic music copyright cases which every songwriter should know about. _______________________________…

Drake and The Weeknd Face Copyright Trials

Two of popular music’s biggest stars are the latest to face lawsuits over their hit songs. Darake is accused of sampling a jazz track with out permission and The Weeknd faces a charge of song plagiarism. Drake A jury trial that would determine if Drake misappropriated music of jazz musician…

Cloudflare Taken to Court for Failing to Act on Infringing Sites

Cloudflare quickly took down neo-Nazi websites.  But, why hasn’t it done the same for pirating websites? Cloudflare doesn’t have a good relationship with both the entertainment and the music industry. For over a year, ALS Scan had remained in a bitter …

Universal Music Group Files a Lawsuit Against PokerNews for Infringing Works on Podcasts

Facing nearly $7 million in damages, will PokerNews and iBusMedia fold in Universal Music Group’s copyright infringement lawsuit? Every so often, PokerNews releases a new podcast. The website, owned by iBusMedia, deals with subjects in the poker arena….

IFPI, IMPALA, ECSA, ICMP, and GESAC Jointly Respond to YouTube’s ‘Fact-Free Fear Mongering’

YouTube Music’s chief Lyor Cohen is warning that his platform will be forever changed by Article 13.  Several music industry associations have now issued a formal response. YouTube and its parent Google/Alphabet has a very serious crisis on its hands. …