Legal

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Monster Sues Beats and Founders Dre and Iovine

Beats By Dre
 
Monster, the co-designer of the original Beats by Dre headphones, is suing Beats Electronics and its co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, USA Today reports.
 
A lawsuit filed in Northern California this week says that Lee and Monster invented the technology behind the Beats By Dre headphones. Furthermore, the suit alleges that Dre and Iovine conspired to cut out Monster and its CEO Noel Lee’s involvement, and committed fraud in the process.
 
HTC invested $300 million in Beats in 2011 before Beats and Monster’s five-year manufacturing and distribution deal ended. In 2013, Iovine and Dre bought back the entirety of Beats, a year before Apple acquired the company for $3 billion.
 
The suit claims that Beats used its “change of control rights” to fraudulently get the headphones away from Monster. “Had the partnership expired on its own terms, there would have been no transfer of Monster’s ‘Beats By Dr. Dre’ product line.”
 
HTC and Beats board member Paul Wachter are among the defendants listed in the suit.
 
USA Today writes: “After severing ties with Monster, Beats was purchased by Apple for $3 billion. But as the Beats co-founders made millions, Monster lost millions from its investment in the rise of Beats, the suit charges. Had Lee retained his original 5% interest in Beats, his total stake in the Beats-Apple deal would have been worth over $100 million, the suit alleges.”
 
Monster and Lee are asking for punitive damages.
 
Related: NFL Bans Players from Wearing Beats by Dre Headphones

| Music Tech
Beats by Dre, Headphones, Legal,
Friday, October 31, 2014

Robin Thicke & Pharrell Lose First Fight Against Marvin Gaye’s Family

Robin Thicke
 
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams’ legal battle with Marvin Gaye’s family over “Blurred Lines” has escalated. According to Billboard, a California judge has ruled in favor of Gaye’s family and scheduled a trial for February 10, 2015.
 
The ruling states that Gaye’s family has made a sufficient showing that elements of Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” may be substantially similar to the soul singer’s 1977 classic, “Got to Give It Up.”
 
In September, Thicke and Williams sued Gaye’s family in an effort to prevent future legal action against them over the song. The preemptive move was in response to claims by Gaye’s family that “Blurred Lines” is a knock-off and threats of legal action.
 
Billboard writes:
 
“The judge points to genuine issues of material fact existing as to the substantial similarity of signature phrases, hooks, bass lines, keyboard chords, harmonic structures and vocal melodies of the two songs. The judge also writes that the Gaye family has offered sufficient evidence to create triable issues about whether their 11-note signature phrase, four-note hook, four-bar bass line, 16-bar harmonic structure and four-note vocal melody are protectable expressions.”
 
“Blurred Lines” was the best-selling digital single of 2013 and is currently the second best-selling digital single of all time, behind The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.” While copyright lawsuits in the music industry are common, this particular case could turn out to be one of the biggest trials ever over alleged song theft.
 
Do you think “Blurred Lines” is a knock-off of “Got to Give it Up”? Listen below:
 

 

 
Related: LMFAO Responds to Rick Ross Lawsuit

| Music Industry
Legal, Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke,
Monday, October 13, 2014

LMFAO Responds to Rick Ross Lawsuit

Earlier this year, rapper Rick Ross filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against LMFAO over their 2010 hit, “Party Rock Anthem.” According to court documents released by The Hollywood Reporter, LMFAO’s song is a derivative work and seeks to capitalize on Ross’ own hit, “Hustlin’.”
 
The lyric in question is “Everyday I’m shufflin’,” which Ross claims is a bite of his phrase, “Everyday I’m hustlin’.”
 
LMFAO begs to differ, though. According to Design & Trends, the duo filed court documents last week which ask for the suit to be dismissed. The documents state, “the lyrics of the composition ‘Party Rock Anthem’ tell a story and express a life philosophy completely opposite to the story and philosophy celebrated and espoused in ‘Hustlin.'”
 
So how much money could be involved?
 
The Inquisitr writes, “Ross and co-composer Jermaine Jackson are seeking an injunction and maximum statutory damages from LMFAO. While no figure was given, the damages could amount to a substantial amount considering the massive sales figures of ‘Party Rock Anthem,’ and its use in various films, TV shows, video games and advertisements. The phrase in question has also appeared on T-shirts and other items in LMFAO’s Party Rock Clothing line.”
 
Back in June, Redfoo of LMFAO told TMZ that a face-to-face meeting with Ross could end the disagreement. “I got love for Rick Ross, that’s real…and honestly I think it’s a misunderstanding,” he said. “I know if me and Rick got on the phone, if we met in person we would talk about some stuff…it’d be over, and I’m willing to do that.”
 
Related: RedFoo Releases ‘New Thang’ Music Video

| Music Industry
Legal, LMFAO, Rick Ross,
Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Krewella Member Sues for Being Kicked out of Group

Krewella
 
UPDATE: Krewella’s Jahan and Yasmine have responded to the lawsuit with the following message on their Tumblr:
 
“We woke up this morning to the lawsuit Kris filed against us. As you all know, there are two sides to every story. We ask our fans to please be patient and not come to any conclusions until we are able to respond to the lawsuit with the truth. Our team has advised that we don’t get into any specifics until we can properly respond to the false claims made—most importantly being that we did not kick Kris out of Krewella, he resigned. We’re having a really difficult time today. As we write this letter to you, we are in the studio working on the second album. Please hang in there with us, the truth will eventually come out. Thank you for being so supportive, we love you guys.”
 
Rain Man aka Kris Trindl, a founding member of Krewella, is suing sisters Jahan Yousaf and Yasmine Yousaf for at least $5 million for kicking him out of the group, says Hollywood Reporter.
 
The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in California, claims the Yousaf sisters began plotting to kick Trindl out of the group after he attended Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. He says the sisters didn’t like the fact he wouldn’t party anymore and mistook his condition for depression.
 
In late summer of 2013, Trindl began suffering from the excessive pace of touring and partying around the world. The lawsuit states that “Kris used alcohol to try to cope with the pressure … he knew he had a drinking problem and checked himself into a detox program and then a 30-day rehab program.”
 
“But the Yousaf sisters didn’t like the new, sober Kris, who took care of business but did not party or drink anymore … They thought he was depressed, although he explained it was just part of the recovery process.”
 
According to the complaint, “It was not Kris’ health or sobriety the others were thinking about, it was all about keeping him off the road so Jahan and Yasmine could establish themselves to live audiences as a duo without Kris, so they could eventually erase him completely from Krewella and reap greater financial rewards.”
 
What’s a controversy without comments from deadmau5 though? The outspoken DJ/producer fired off a series of ambiguous tweets earlier today that were directed at the sisters and their manager, Jake Udell, who also manages Zhu and Pegboard Nerds:
 

 
Those who enjoy wading through legal documents can read the full complaint below:
 

 
Related: Krewella & ZHU Manager Jake Udell Gives Advice to Artists

| Music Industry
Krewella, Legal,
Thursday, April 17, 2014

Drake Sued Over Sample Used in ‘Pound Cake’


 
Drake has been sued over a sample used in his Jay Z-assisted track, “Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2,” TMZ reports.
 
The estate of late jazz musician Jimmy Smith alleges that Drake sampled the intro to his 1982 song “Jimmy Smith Rap” without permission. While the liner notes reflect that the sample was properly licensed, the lawsuit claims that Drake never asked for permission.
 
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Smith’s estate is suing Drake, Cash Money and others for over $300,000.
 

 

 
Download: Drake ft. Jay Z – Pound Cake

| Music Industry
Drake, Jazz, Legal, Music Production,
Friday, January 3, 2014

Rick Ross Sues LMFAO Over “Party Rock Anthem”


 
Rapper Rick Ross has filed copyright infringement lawsuit against LMFAO over their 2010 hit single, “Party Rock Anthem.”
 
LMFAO’s chart-topper contains the lyrics “Everyday I’m shufflin'” which Ross claims is an illegal “derivative” of his phrase, “Everyday I’m hustlin’,” from his 2006 debut single.
 
Rick Ross says his phrase was important to the success of “Party Rock Anthem” which has sold 7.5 million copies and been licensed for numerous films, television programs, video games and more.
 
The lawsuit comes two weeks after Ross’ victory in a dispute with “Freeway” Ricky Ross. The famed drug dealer claimed Rick Ross’ persona was partly based on his likeness.
 
Related: Rick Ross ft. JAY Z – The Devil is a Lie

| Music Industry
Legal, LMFAO, Rick Ross,

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