Music publishers have fired the latest shots in their continuing legal battle with exercise company Peloton. The publishers, as corralled by the NMPA, submitted a filing that counters Peloton’s claim that they are guilty of collusion and anti-com…
Category archives: legal
U.S. Appeals Court Revives Taylor Swift ‘Shake It Off’ Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
A federal court has reversed a lower court decision to dismiss a lawsuit against superstar Taylor Swift, which accuses her of plagiarizing the chorus from her song “Shake It Off.” In February of last year, a district court determined that t…
Michael Jackson Estate Could Face Serious Damages After California’s Tough Child Sex Assault Bill Becomes Law
A new California law intended to help survivors of childhood sexual assault could result in serious damages against the Michael Jackson Estate. Recently, The Blast uncovered documents filed in an appellate court indicating that California’s Assem…
Justin Bieber Settles a Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Over a Picture of Himself
Just when you thought that copyright infringement lawsuits couldn’t get any more absurd… This time, a member of the paparazzi has sued singer Justin Bieber for posting a picture of himself on Instagram. The case has since been settled by t…
Lizzo Fights Back — Files Countersuit Against Men Accusing Her of Plagiarizing “Truth Hurts”
Lizzo is striking back. The singer and credited songwriter of the hit song “Truth Hurts” has filed a countersuit against brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen as well as Justin “Yves” Rothman. The three claim that they recorded a…
PledgeMusic Is ‘Unlikely’ to Pay Nearly $10 Million Owed to Artists, Bank-Appointed Administrator Says
PledgeMusic’s bank-appointed receiver says it’s ‘unlikely’ that artists will see any of the money they’re owed. We predicted this outcome back in July when PledgeMusic filed its wind up petition. Instead of heading into ad…
House of Representatives Passes Small Claims Copyright Bill for Infringements Under $30,000
There’s big news on the copyright front — for small infractions. Small claims court systems exist throughout the world and are a fixture in every U.S. state and county. The processes are streamlined and quick, with judges typically reviewing doze…
Juice Wrld Hit With a $15 Million Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Over ‘Lucid Dreams’
On Monday (October 21st), early 2000s emo rock band Yellowcard filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in a California U.S. District Court against Juice Wrld. The members of Yellowcard are alleging that the rapper used the melody and other elements from…
Pandora’s Gigantic Pre-1972 Class Action Copyright Lawsuit Might Go ‘Poof’
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals gave Pandora hope that it could escape a class action lawsuit filed against it relating to the streaming of music recorded prior to 1972. The Appeals Court did this by asking a lower court to reconsider the reque…
Lizzo Faces Another Plagiarism Accusation — This Time from 90s Singer Cece Peniston
Lizzo is now battling multiple accusations of plagiarism. But is this really ‘plagiarism’ and ‘copyright infringement,’ or simply similarities and well-known memes? Over the weekend, 90s dance music singer CeCe Peniston claimed …