Category:
Music

07/03/16

Spotify fights back against copyright infringement class action!

On 12 February 2016, online music streaming service provider, Spotify, submitted two motions to stop a US$150 million class action lawsuit over copyright infringement fronted by Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery (‘Lowery’). Lowery filed his class action law suit against Spotify on 28 December 2015 where he accused the streaming service of...

Read more

Can I sing Happy Birthday without being sued?

Two years later and the world can almost sing Happy Birthday without paying a large sum to Warner Chappell Inc. It was recently held that Warner does not own a valid copyright in the Happy Birthday lyrics. Warner grudgingly agreed to pay $14m to settle, but asserted that it “respectfully disagreed with the court’s decision”....

Spotting the problem: New claims against Spotify

Spotify has had two copyright law suits brought against them in the last two weeks. The first claim is by David Lowery, who is claiming copyright infringement. Lowery is seeking $150 million from Spotify for illegally duplicating and distributing his band “Cracker and Camper Van Beetoven” songs. The second claim is by Melissa Ferrick a...

Shake It Off, Shake It Off Tay Tay

In case you hadn’t heard, the claim by R&B singer Jesse Braham that Taylor Swift stole lyrics to her 2014 hit song Shake It Off was dismissed back in November this year. In 2013 Jesse Braham released a song called “Haters Gone Hate” with the chorus containing: “Haters gone hater, playas gone play. Watch out...

Ross left hustlin’ with court fees as LMFAO shuffles free

Rick Ross has lost his legal lawsuit to LMFAO following a decision that the merchandise bearing the catch phrase ‘Everyday I’m Shufflin’ did not constitute a copyright infringement of Ross’ musical phrase ‘Everyday I’m Hustlin’. Copyright protection does not automatically extend to every component of a copyrighted work. In this case it was not the...

Jay Z in Copyright Dispute over ‘Big Pimpin’

Last week the details of the trial between multiplatinum hip-hop artist Jay Z and nephew of acclaimed Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi were released. Hamdi’s nephew Osama Fahmy has claimed that Jay Z and producer Tim ‘Timbaland’ Molsey did not properly license his uncle’s composition Khosara Khosara for the 1999 hip-hop anthem Big Pimpin. Hamdi’s estate...

Yoghurt Super Bowl ad leaves sour taste with John Butler Trio

The Dannon Oikos Greek Yoghurt Ad, which aired last week during the Super Bowl, is currently ranked No. 9 on USA Today’s Super Bowl Admeter: The John Butler Trio however isn’t so impressed after being alerted to the similarity between the riff in the ad and their popular song ‘Zebra’: The developments are being played out on...

« Previous 1 2