Epic Ask Court to Keep Google from Removing Bandcamp

Jason Tate May 2, 2022

Jay Peters, writing at The Verge:

Epic Games has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop Google from removing independent music storefront Bandcamp from the Android app store — which Google has apparently threatened to do because Bandcamp is using its own billing system instead of paying Google an app store fee.
Bandcamp, which Epic acquired in March, has used its own billing system on Android since 2015, and was able to do so because of rules exempting digital music from having to use Google’s billing system, according to a blog post from Bandcamp co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond. “However, Google is now modifying its rules to require Bandcamp (and other apps like it) to exclusively use Google Play Billing for payments for digital goods and services, and pay a revenue share to Google,” Diamond says

Ed Sheeran Wins ‘Shape of You’ Plagiarism Case

Jason Tate Apr 6, 2022

The New York Times:

Ed Sheeran did not steal from another songwriter when he wrote his 2017 megahit “Shape of You,” according to a highly anticipated court ruling here on Wednesday.
Justice Zacaroli, the judge overseeing the case, said “Mr. Sheeran neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied” the track “Oh Why,” by the British songwriter Sami Chokri, who records as Sami Switch.
There was “no more than speculative” evidence that Mr. Sheeran had even ever heard “Oh Why,” Justice Zacaroli added, dismissing Mr. Chokri’s claim of copyright infringement.

RIAA Attorneys Go At HitPiece

Jason Tate Feb 4, 2022

The RIAA has sent a letter to the music NFT website that pissed off everyone this week. The press release is below.

Jason Tate Jan 4, 2022

The Nevermind baby lawsuit has been dismissed.

Elden’s team had until 30 December to respond to Nirvana’s motion to dismiss, but missed the deadline.
As a result, Judge Fernando M Olguin dismissed the case “with leave to amend” – meaning his team have until 13 January to refile the case with appropriate changes.

R. Kelly Found Guilty

Jason Tate Sep 28, 2021

The New York Times:

R. Kelly, the multiplatinum R&B artist whose musical legacy became intertwined with dozens of accusations of sexual abuse, was found guilty on Monday of serving as the ringleader of a decades-long scheme to recruit women and underage girls for sex.
The jury in New York deliberated for about nine hours before convicting the singer of all nine counts against him, including racketeering and eight violations of an anti-sex trafficking law known as the Mann Act.

‘Nevermind’ Baby Sues Nirvana

Jason Tate Aug 25, 2021

TMZ:

The baby from Nirvana’s famous “Nevermind” album art is all grown up … and now he’s suing the band for child sexual exploitation.
A man named Spencer Elden claims he’s the naked baby famously pictured in a swimming pool on Nirvana’s groundbreaking 1991 album cover … and he’s suing the band, its surviving members and Kurt Cobain’s estate, 30 years after the album dropped.

What changed? According to a GQ interview:

In the past you’ve said it was cool. When did that change?
Just a few months ago, when I was reaching out to Nirvana to see if they wanted to be part of my art show. I was getting referred to their managers and their lawyers. Why am I still on their cover if I’m not that big of a deal?
Why’d you reach out to them?
I was trying to do an art show with the photographer who took the picture. I was asking if they wanted to put a piece of art in the fucking thing.

Sigur Ròs Acquitted on Tax Fraud Charges

Jason Tate May 26, 2021

Ruv:

This morning, the Reykjavík District Court acquitted all members of Sigur Rós’ team in a large-scale tax evasion case. Jón Þór Birgisson, the band’s singer, was also acquitted of charges of tax evasion in connection with the French association. Legal costs amounting to almost ISK 56 million are paid from the state treasury.

Steve Klein, Ex-New Found Glory Guitarist, Issues Statement

Jason Tate Mar 9, 2021

Steve Klein, formerly of New Found Glory, has issued a statement after his recent conviction.

Jason Tate Mar 1, 2021

Matt Fountain, writing at The Tribune:

A founding member of the pop-punk band New Found Glory was convicted of felony indecent exposure in San Luis Obispo Superior Court last month after accepting a plea agreement in a case that had idled for more than six years.
Stephen Lee “Steve” Klein, who lived in Atascadero, was charged in 2014 with five felony counts of lewd acts on a child, as well as a count each of contact with intent to commit a sex offense and possession of child pornography, stemming from sexual two-way chat room videos involving underage girls found on an external hard drive at Klein’s home.
At a trial-setting conference Feb. 9, Klein agreed to plead no contest to an added felony charge of indecent exposure, and the remaining charges were dismissed. […]
His attorney, Ilan Funke-Bilu, said Monday that if his client successfully complies with the terms of his probation for one year, his felony conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor and his probation terminated.
The 41-year-old will be required to register as a sex offender for at least 10 years, however, Funke-Bilu said.

Musicians Sign Open Letter Demanding Clearance for Campaign Songs

Jason Tate Jul 28, 2020

Rolling Stone:

The letter calls for major political party committees in the U.S. to “establish clear policies requiring campaigns to seek consent of featured recording artists, songwriters and copyright owners before publicly using their music in a political or campaign setting.” […]
The letter’s signees include the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Sia, Regina Spektor, R.E.M, Lorde, Blondie, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash, Lionel Richie, Pearl Jam and Green Day.

Yellowcard Drops Lawsuit Against Juice WRLD

Jason Tate Jul 28, 2020

Yellowcard have dropped their copyright lawsuit against Juice WRLD.

In a statement, Busch noted that the decision to drop the case was made by the band.
“My clients are very sympathetic not only of Juice WRLD’s death,” Busch said, “but also needed time to decide whether they really wanted to pursue the case against his grieving mother as the personal representative of his estate.”

Anita ‘Lady A’ White Talks About Name Lawsuit

Jason Tate Jul 10, 2020

Anita ‘Lady A’ White has talked with Vulture about the lawsuit from the new Lady A:

With the pro bono support of intellectual-property attorneys from the Palo Alto–headquartered Cooley law firm, White is confident that justice will eventually prevail. If she has any concern about the way negotiations have crumbled for all the world to see, it is for the way she is being portrayed by the band, how she believes they are positioning her as “the angry Black woman.” But even that won’t stop her fight.
“I was quiet for two weeks because I was trying to believe that it was going to be okay and that they would realize that it would be easier to just change their name, or pay me for my name,” White says. “Five million dollars is nothing, and I’m actually worth more than that, regardless of what they think. But here we go again with another white person trying to take something from a Black person, even though they say they’re trying to help. If you want to be an advocate or an ally, you help those who you’re oppressing. And that might require you to give up something because I am not going to be erased.”

Lady A Are Suing Lady A

Jason Tate Jul 9, 2020

The now named Lady A are suing Anita White, the Seattle blues singer who has been using the name for over twenty years.

The Grammy-winning vocal group filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court after negotiations with Anita White broke down in recent weeks. According to the lawsuit, the band is seeking a ruling that their use of the trademark “Lady A” does not infringe on White’s alleged trademark rights of the same name. The band is not seeking monetary damages.

Roc Nation Files Copyright Claim Over Deepfake Videos

Jason Tate Apr 30, 2020

Andy Baio, writing at Waxy:

Over the weekend, for the first time, the anonymous creator of Vocal Synthesis received a copyright claim on YouTube, taking two of his videos offline with deepfaked audio of Jay-Z reciting the “To Be or Not To Be” soliloquy from Hamlet and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
According to the creator, the copyright claims were filed by Roc Nation LLC with an unusual reason for removal: “This content unlawfully uses an AI to impersonate our client’s voice.”

StubHub Hit With $5M Class Action Lawsuit Over Coronavirus Refund Policy

Jason Tate Apr 7, 2020

Billboard:

A Wisconsin man has filed a $5 million dollar federal class action lawsuit against StubHub for not refunding money he spent on a suspended NHL game.
Filed by plaintiff Matthew McMillan last Thursday in U.S. District Court in Wisconsin, the complaint accuses the ticket resale company of breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation, among other claims. McMillan is asking the court to prohibit StubHub from issuing coupons worth 120% of the purchase price in lieu of refunds and to order the company to reinstate its pre-March 20 refund policy.