Legal
Jay Z Wins Copyright Trial Over ‘Big Pimpin’ Sample
Jay Z (photo via Facebook)
Jay Z and Timbaland won a lawsuit on Wednesday over an Egyptian sample that’s used in “Big Pimpin’,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A judge in Los Angeles ruled that Osama Fahmy, nephew of composer Baligh Hamdi, lacked standing to pursue the claim that Jay Z and Timbaland illicitly sampled his uncle’s song “Khosara Khosara.”
Fahmy argued that the Egyptian concept of “moral rights” applied to Jay Z’s license for “Khosara Khosara” and required the rapper, Timbaland, and their record label to get Hamdi’s family’s permission to sample it.
However, Jay Z and Timbaland claimed that Fahmy could only hold moral rights in Egypt, where a license they received from EMI in 2001 specifically excluded its use.
Listen to “Big Pimpin'” and “Khosara Khosara” below.
Related: The Samples Behind Nas’ Classics
D.R.A.M. Re-Releases ‘Cha Cha’ With New Instrumental
Rising rapper D.R.A.M. has re-released his party anthem “Cha Cha” with a new instrumental.
The original version, which has received over two million YouTube views, features a prominent sample from Nintendo’s Super Mario World.
Neither D.R.A.M. or Nintendo have confirmed anything, but it’s presumed that the rapper replaced the beat to avoid legal action from the gaming giant.
“Cha Cha” was originally released last September and became an underground favorite, thanks to a co-sign from DJ Jazzy Jeff and others. However, it wasn’t until May when Beyonce posted a video of her dancing to the track that it hit the mainstream. Within a week, “Cha Cha” became the most-added song on urban radio.
Despite losing the recognizable Nintendo sample and with it, a bit of energy, “Cha Cha” could still become one of the summer’s biggest songs.
Watch the music video below and grab the new version on DJcity.
Deadmau5 and Disney Settle Dispute Over Logo
Deadmau5 has been involved with a number of conflicts throughout the years, but his battle with Disney was one of the biggest.
Last September, the media giant filed a suit against mau5’s over the use of his “mouse head” logo, which they claimed was too similar to their Mickey Mouse logo. Deadmau5, not one to back down, vented on social media and responded with a cease and desist.
Now, eight months later, mau5’s attorney has announced that both parties have reached a settlement.
The terms of the deal haven’t been revealed yet, but the Hollywood Reporter points out that they’ll most likely be detailed in the papers to the Trademark Office.
Related: Deadmau5 Goes on Coffee Run with ‘Game of Thrones’ Actor Kristian Nairn
Laidback Luke Weighs in on ‘Blurred Lines’ Ruling
Last week’s ruling against Robin Thicke and Pharrell has proven to be one of the most controversial stories of the year in the music world. On one side, there are folks who support the court’s decision that “Blurred Lines” copies Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” There are also people, many of which are artists and industry professionals, who believe the ruling sets a dangerous precedent and could stifle creativity.
One of the most high-profile artists to speak out is Laidback Luke. The Dutch heavyweight, who himself has been involved in copyright lawsuits, penned an op-ed for Billboard earlier this week about the ruling. Below are some of the main points he made in the candid piece.
He believes “Blurred Lines” is similar to “Got to Give It Up,” but he doesn’t think they’re the same.
“In the ‘Blurred Lines’ case, I can hear is a same type of groove and a similar sounding Rhodes organ that doesn’t even play the same notes. I’d even go so far to say that ‘Blurred Lines’ is just a similar style of track as ‘Got To Give It Up.’ Style as in genre.”
In terms of note progressions, he thinks creativity is limited.
“In dance music alone, there are at least 3,000 new tracks released every week. Surely almost anything you can think of has already been done? For instance, people think I jacked Tujamo’s ‘Boneless’ with my track ‘Bae,’ whereas I didn’t have it in mind at all while producing. Unless we somehow invent new notes, the progressions that we can make are not infinite. The notes themselves have never been copyrighted, so how many notes does it take to claim it as a copyrighted sample? Everyone will recognize the first 3 to 4 notes in ‘Get Ready For This’ before any vocal even drops in.”
He believes being influenced is inevitable.
“Being creative draws upon the collection of music in your head. It sits there and anything around you can influence you. Anything you heard in your past that made an impression on you will affect your style. I often find myself just being a collection of anything Daft Punk meets Timbaland meets the The Neptunes meets J Dilla, and that molded into a format that I can play out as a DJ. Being influenced seems inevitable, and there’s almost always something out there that sounds similar to what you’re making.”
He thinks the ruling poses a threat to new artists.
“The fact is, this very second some kid somewhere is taking my music, chopping it up, looking at it sideways, replaying it and then calling it his own. They are the future. If that stops, the music stops. However, a new standard has been set. Those ‘Blurred Lines’ suddenly became dangerously Thicke.”
Related: Jury Rules Against Robin Thicke & Pharrell in ‘Blurred Lines’ Trial
Jury Rules Against Robin Thicke & Pharrell in ‘Blurred Lines’ Trial
A jury has ruled that Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I.’s hit “Blurred Lines” copied Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song “Got to Give It Up.” Thicke and Williams will pay the Gaye family a total of $7.4 million in copyright damages.
The ruling came after a two-week trial that included testimony from Thicke’s ex-wife Paula Patton and an in-court piano performance by Thicke himself. It was revealed that Thicke and Williams each made over $5 million on “Blurred Lines.”
According to Billboard, “To demonstrate copyright infringement, Busch instead leaned on the musicologists, who testified of similarities in signature phrases, hook, keyboard-bass interplay, lyrics and theme of the songs. Although ‘Blurred Lines’ was the primary ticket, the Gaye family also attempted to prove that Thicke’s ‘Love After War’ was an infringement of Gaye’s ‘After the Dance’ too.”
Billboard also reported that during his closing statement, Thicke and Williams’ attorney Howard King warned the jury about artistic freedom. “The wrong decision here will stifle musicians and the record companies that finance them [in signifying] that you cannot honor a genre, a style or a groove,” he said. “This is more important than money. This affects the creativity of young musicians.”
Listen to “Blurred Lines” and “Got to Give It Up” below.
Related: Jimmy Fallon, Robin Thicke, & The Roots Perform “Blurred Lines” with Classroom Instruments
Lil Wayne Sues Cash Money for $51 Million
Last month, Lil Wayne called out his label Cash Money and its boss Birdman for delaying the release of his next album. Now he’s suing the label for $51 million.
According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Wayne says Birdman and Cash Money violated their deal by withholding tens of millions of dollars for his long-delayed album, Tha Carter V. The project has yet to be released and Wayne claims he’s entitled to leave the label as a result.
Apparently, Wayne was supposed to receive an $8 million advance when he began working on Tha Carter V and $2 million after completing it, but has yet to receive any of that money.
Wayne also wants the judge to declare he’s the joint copyright owner of all Young Money recordings, which includes Drake, Nicki Minaj and several others.
Young Money is an imprint of Cash Money and was founded by Wayne in 2005.
Related: Lil Wayne Blasts Cash Money: ‘I Want Off This Label’
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