Legal
Page: 40
Travis Scott was released from French police custody without a charge after his arrest at a Paris hotel following an altercation with a security guard, French prosecutors said Saturday (Aug. 10). In a statement, the Paris prosecutor’s office said, “the police custody order for Travis Scott has been lifted and all proceedings (against him) were […]
A new lawsuit claims that Pitbull’s 2021 dance hit “I Feel Good” was copied from an earlier track that was created more than 15 years earlier.
In a case filed Thursday in Manhattan federal court, a company called All Surface Publishing alleged that Pitbull’s song – which spent 27 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart — infringed the copyright to a 2006 song called “Samir’s Theme” by featuring “significant similarities.”
“The infringement is an exact copy of a discernible portion of plaintiff’s musical work that was copied,” the lawsuit claims.
The accusers claim the two songs feature similarities in melody, harmony, melodic structure, tempo, musical arrangement and percussion – including a “three-note introductory phrase” in which notes descend down the musical scale.
“When heard in real time, the descending lines of both songs appear to be almost identical,” the accusers claim.
Trending on Billboard
The case doesn’t name Pitbull personally as a defendant but instead targets his record label Mr. 305 Inc., as well as DJ White Shadow (Paul Edward Blair), who produced the track and was also featured on it as an artist.
A key part of most copyright lawsuits is proving that the accused infringer had enough “access” to the original that they had a chance to copy it. In the case of “I Feel Good,” the lawsuit claims All Surface owner Aaron LaCanfora sent “Samir’s Theme” directly to DJ White Shadow in 2011.
“I love this song,” the DJ allegedly responded, according to the lawsuit.
Reps for both Mr. 305 and DJ White Shadow did not return requests for comment.
The lawsuit also names Universal Music Group as a defendant, claiming that Mr. 305 Inc. is a “fully owned subsidiary of UMG,” though it’s not clear if that’s true. Mr. 305 signed a distribution deal with Ingrooves in 2019, shortly after that company was acquired by UMG, but Pitbull’s company describes itself as an “independent record label” owned by the star himself.
A rep for UMG did not immediately return a request for comment.
A third person has been detained by Austrian authorities in connection with the foiled terror plot to attack fans at Taylor Swift‘s now-cancelled Eras Tour shows in Vienna this weekend. The Associated Press reported that an unnamed 18-year-old man was arrested Thursday evening (August 8) following the earlier arrests of the 19-year-old main suspect in the incident and a 17-year-old, both of whom were taken into custody on Tuesday.
At press time no additional information was available on the third suspect or on what charges the three men might be facing in connection with what officials describe as plans to unleash a potentially devastating mass casualty event by the trio. The main suspect has told police that he planned to attack Swifties gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium for what were supposed to be three shows (August 8, 9, 10) at the 65,000-capacity venue.
Officials had expected up to 30,000 fans without tickets to post up outside the stadium each night, with the 19-year-old telling officials that he planned to drive a vehicle into the throng and attack those gathered for the concerts with knives or homemade explosives at Thursday or Friday night’s shows in order to “kill as many people as possible.”
The attack was reportedly inspired by the terror groups al-Qaida and the Islamic State, with the main suspect and the 18-year-old arrested on Friday allegedly pledging an “oath of allegiance” to ISIS; CNN described the 18-year-old as an Iraqi national who was detained as part of the “broad scope” of the ongoing investigation as the interior ministry is “taking decisive action against anyone who might be involved in terrorist activities or exhibits radical tendencies.”
CNN also reported that during their investigation at the main suspect’s home, police investigators said they found bomb-making materials, detonators, 21,000 euros in counterfeit money, machetes, knives and anabolic steroids. Authorities also said the main suspect quit his job on July 25, saying he had “something big planned.” Islamic State and al-Qaida-related materials were also found at the 17-year-old’s home. According to the AP, the latter has so far refused to talk to authorities, who also revealed that he’d been hired earlier this week by a company that was providing unspecified services at the venue for the anticipated shows.
The 18-year-old arrested on Friday also reportedly swore the oath to the terror groups and “comes from the social environment” of the main suspect, but is not believed to be directly linked to the foiled plot.
At press time Swift had not made any public statement about the cancellation of the shows or the reports about the thwarted attack and a spokesperson had not returned a request for additional comment.
While breathing a sigh of relief that Austrian authorities broke up the plot before it could be carried out, crestfallen Swifties who’d traveled from all over the world and Europe consoled each other in the Vienna streets on Thursday by gathering to sing Swift’s songs and trade friendship bracelets. The superfans flooded Corneliusgasse street — a boulevard in Vienna that shares a name with Swift’s song “Cornelia Street” — where they traded the tour’s signature bracelets, hung them from trees and sang “But Daddy I Love Him” from Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department album. In another silver lining scene, a pair of Swifties got engaged on the streets of Vienna in a “Love Story” brought to life.
The Vienna shows were supposed to be the penultimate run on the European leg of Swift’s Eras Tour. On Thursday, officials in the UK said that there is no indication that the Vienna cancellation will have any impact on next week’s kick-off of a five-night (August 15-20) night run at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Travis Scott was arrested at a Paris hotel on Friday (August 9) after reportedly getting into a fight with a security guard. According to the Associated Press, Scott, 33, a statement from the Paris public prosecutor’s office said the arrest happened after police were summoned to the Georges V hotel early Friday morning to arrest […]
A lawsuit against Beyoncé and Sony Music over samples featured in her chart-topping hit “Break My Soul” has been dropped, less than three months after the case was filed. The voluntary dismissal will end an unusual case in which members of Da Showstoppaz, a little-known New Orleans group, claimed that Beyoncé had used their music […]
With claims of uncleared samples back in the news, Billboard dug up every case that’s been filed against the controversial rapper. Spoiler alert: It’s a lot.
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: AI music firms Suno and Udio hit back hard at a billion-dollar copyright lawsuit filed by the major labels; Damon Dash faces a court-ordered auction of his one-third stake in Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records; Cardi B files for divorce from husband Offset; and much more.
THE BIG STORY: “A Threat to Their Market Share”
The first “answer” to a lawsuit is typically a pretty sparse document. An accused defendant admits or denies each claim and offers up a list of every possible defense they might use, but that’s about it. The real arguments are usually saved for later filings, like a motion to dismiss the case. That’s what made the answers filed last week by AI music firms Suno and Udio so fascinating. Facing sprawling copyright lawsuits from the music industry, the two companies went well beyond boilerplate denials – offering extended arguments that attempted to frame the narrative of a multi-billion dollar legal battle that could take years to resolve. In doing so, they admitted to using copyrighted songs to train their models, and they argued that doing so was clearly a form of legal “fair use.” And they blasted the major labels (Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment) that filed the case, accusing them of abusing copyright law to maintain that power. “What the major record labels really don’t want is competition,” Suno wrote in its filing. “Where Suno sees musicians, teachers and everyday people using a new tool to create original music, the labels see a threat to their market share.” Go read our full story on the response filings, with access to the full arguments made by both companies.
Other top stories this week…
REASONABLE DOUBT? – Damon Dash’s one-third stake in Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records is going up for a court-ordered auction later this month to help pay off his debts – namely, more than $1 million in legal judgments and another $145,000 in unpaid child support. The minimum bid for the auction has been set at $1.2 million, but it’s not exactly clear what the buyer would be purchasing — and they shouldn’t expect a normal due diligence process. JT PLEADS NOT GUILTY – Justin Timberlake entered a not guilty plea to drunk driving charges following his June arrest in the Hamptons, appearing virtually while on the European leg of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour. During the hearing, the star’s attorney reiterated previous statements that Timberlake (who refused to take a breathalyzer) was actually not intoxicated at the time of his arrest. CARDI B DIVORCE – Cardi B filed for divorce from Offset after seven years of marriage, a split that her reps said “has been a long time coming and is amicable.” In her divorce petition, filed in New Jersey court, the Grammy-winning hip-hop superstar is seeking primary custody of her two children and unborn baby on the way, as well as child support from Offset. The “WAP” star previously filed for divorce in 2020 in Atlanta, but later withdrew the case after the two stars reconciled. DON’T STOP LITIGATIN’ – The never-ending legal battle between Journey members Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon erupted yet again, with Cain filing a new lawsuit against Schon over claims that his “exorbitant” spending and other problems have led to a “deadlock” that’s threatening to cripple the band’s touring operations. If you want an idea of how dysfunctional things have gotten between Cain and Schon: “It is common that one director will terminate an employee or crew member, and hours or days later, the other director will rehire that same individual.” NO BOND FOR YOUNG THUG – Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, the newly-installed replacement judge overseeing Young Thug’s sprawling Atlanta gang trial, denied the rapper’s renewed request to be released from jail, leaving him incarcerated until a verdict is reached sometime next year. Thug has already been sitting in jail for more than two years while the slow-moving case has dragged on, through an unprecedented 10-month jury selection, a trial marked by delays and disruptions, and now weeks of tumult over a secret meeting between the judge and prosecutors. FEDERAL AI DEEPFAKES BILL – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced the NO FAKES Act, which aims to protect artists and others from deepfakes and AI-powered fake vocals like last year’s Fake Drake song. The bill would for the first time create federal intellectual property protections for the so-called right of publicity, which restricts how someone’s name, image, likeness and voice can be used without consent. STUBHUB SUED OVER ‘JUNK FEES’ – StubHub was hit with a lawsuit from Washington D.C.’s attorney general over allegations that the ticket resale platform foists “convoluted junk fees” on concertgoers after luring them in with “deceptively low prices.” The case, which echoes complaints made by the Department of Justice about Live Nation and Ticketmaster, claims that DC consumers alone have paid $118 million in such fees to StubHub since 2015. R. KELLY AT SCOTUS – The disgraced R&B singer took one of his sex abuse convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to overturn his convictions for child pornography and enticement on statute of limitations grounds. The appeal does not deal with Kelly’s other set of convictions on racketeering charges, which remains pending before a lower court. KISS KISS, BANG BANG – The 1975 and the band’s frontman Matty Healy were hit with a $2.4 million lawsuit from the organizers of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival – an event that was shut down last summer after Healy gave a speech criticizing the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and then kissed a male bandmate on stage. The incident (which has been criticized by local rights activists as counterproductive) breached the band’s contract with the festival, according to the lawsuit. SAMPLE SETTLEMENT – French Montana reached a settlement to end a lawsuit claiming his 2022 song “Blue Chills” features an unlicensed sample from Skylar Gudasz’s 2020 song “Femme Fatale.” The deal will resolve a case that claimed French’s reps had tentatively agreed to license the clip, but that the rapper released the song without ever actually doing so. JUICE WRLD ESTATE SUED – A music producer named Joshua Jaramillo is suing Juice WRLD’s estate over claims that he’s owed royalties from the late rapper’s 2021 hit “Girl of My Dreams.” Jaramillo claims he was promised a 5% ownership stake and an additional 1% producer royalty for the track, which featured Suga of BTS and debuted at No. 29 on the Hot 100. ANOTHER TIKTOK CASE – The Justice Department filed a new lawsuit against TikTok claiming the social media giant had violated children’s online privacy law and run afoul of a previous settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. While serious, the case is likely second on the list for TikTok’s legal team, which is also litigating a separate lawsuit challenging legislation that would block the company from operating in the U.S. entirely. CYRUS DIVORCE SETTLED – Billy Ray Cyrus and wife Firerose (born Johanna Hodges) have reached a settlement to end their contentious divorce case, ending weeks of hyperbolic accusations of abuse and wrongdoing from both sides. In a statement, Cyrus said he was “relieved” and called the short-lived marriage an “insane scam.” A source close to Firerose countered with a statement that said she had settled for no money and wanted her husband’s “smear campaign” to end. KEHLANI CULT CLAIMS – Kehlani’s ex-partner Javaughn Young-White filed a petition seeking legal and physical custody of their 5-year-old daughter, claiming that singer is involved in a cult. “This cult controls her actions and her behavior, including when it comes to the upbringing of our daughter,” Young-White’s lawyers wrote.
Trending on Billboard
Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose (born Johanna Hodges) have settled their divorce, according to a statement from the country star’s lawyers posted on his Instagram Monday (Aug. 5).
The message from attorneys Rose Palermo and Jason Talley states that the settlement was reached on Friday (Aug. 2) and that the ex-couple was declared legally separated three days later. “Mr. Cyrus is relieved to put this nightmare behind him,” it reads. “Further, a couple of weeks ago, prior to mediation, Ms. Hodges legally changed her last name from ‘Hodges’ to ‘Cyrus.’ Mr Cyrus feels that this validates his assertion that his ex-wife’s sole impetus for marrying him was to obtain his last name.”
The post also included a statement directly from the “Achy Breaky Heart” singer. “I’m just very relieved,” he wrote. “This has been absolutely the most crazy insane scam I have ever heard of … Not only was it a web of lies that put me in physical danger … it was a matter of the heart. Love is blind … that’s for sure.”
Trending on Billboard
A source close to Firerose countered in a statement shared with Billboard: “If this went to trial, Firerose and her team would have provided a significant amount of evidence to prove he fabricated a narrative that would benefit his public image. There is no doubt she would have been awarded the divorce, but it was much more important to her that this continuous smear campaign end, and the emotional turmoil stop so she can close the door on this chapter and recover from her surgery peacefully.”
The source also said that the Australian singer chose to settle for $0, wanting to end her association with Cyrus once and for all. They added that Firerose filed for Cyrus’ last name shortly after they wed — not a couple of weeks ago, as the Hannah Montana star claimed.
Cyrus filed for divorce on May 22, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “inappropriate marital conduct” seven months after the couple married. In a follow-up filing on June 13, Cyrus requested an emergency motion accusing Firerose of making nearly $100,000 in unauthorized “fraudulent” credit card charges while seeking a temporary restraining order to stop her, accusations her attorneys labeled “untrue.”
After Cyrus’ divorce filing, Firerose accused him of domestic abuse, saying he was psychologically abusive during their marriage and calling the country star “unpredictable and volatile” due to alleged substance abuse. She also claimed that he filed for divorce one day before she was scheduled to have a preventative double mastectomy. In a statement shared with Billboard, Cyrus’ lawyers “vehemently” denied the allegations and said that while he was “certainly vocal, frustrated and angry … it is the plaintiff who, in fact, has been abused. Not only verbally and emotionally by the defendant, but PHYSICALLY.”
The source close to Firerose, however, claims that in a former marital dissolution agreement, Cyrus had included a clause asking her to say she was lying about having BRCA, a.k.a. the “breast cancer” gene. The source claims it was thrown out after Firerose provided her test results and medical records proving otherwise, adding that her surgery is set for later this month.
In July, a 90-second audio clip of Cyrus berating Firerose for apparently making him late to a function leaked online. “Of course, she was intentionally on her best behavior since she knew the recording was being made,” Cyrus’ attorneys responded to the leak in a statement shared with Billboard. “If Mr. Cyrus was truly the person that Ms. Hodges desires the court of public opinion to believe with the release of her one-sided recording, then it is mindboggling to try and explain why Ms. Hodges begged to return to live with him and for Mr. Cyrus to give her a chance to ‘explain everything’ after he filed to annul or dissolve their marriage.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Kehlani’s ex-partner Javaughn Young-White has filed a petition to gain legal and physical custody of their 5-year-old daughter, Adeya, claiming the singer is in what he describes as a cult. He is also requesting child support.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In the court documents, filed in Los Angeles on July 24 and obtained by Billboard, Young-White claims “everyone else has bigger say-so when it comes to upbringing of our daughter than I do.” He says that because Adeya, who arrived in March 2019, was “born in a home and not in a conventional setting like a hospital,” Young-White’s name is not on the birth certificate as her father. Additionally, he claims he requested a copy of both the child’s birth certificate and social security number, both to “no avail.” (In announcing the birth of Adeya, Kehlani shared via a since-deleted Instagram post that they welcomed their healthy baby girl via “unmedicated homebirth.”)
According to Young-White’s filing, Kehlani — whose full name is Kehlani Parrish — allegedly “has been involved in this cult for the past few years and it appears that this cult controls her actions and her behavior, including when it comes to the upbringing of our daughter.”
Per the documents, Young-White claims he has attempted to retrieve his daughter in the past, but was allegedly “physically restrained and threatened” by members of what he referred to as the cult. “While Respondent is on tour, and our daughter is in the care of her fellow cult members, Adeya sleeps in the bed with, and is given baths by random adult members of the cult and she is often in the bedroom alone with some of these people,” he alleges.
Young-White concluded by requesting that Kehlani takes a psychological exam, that his name be added to Adeya’s birth certificate and that Adeya’s name be changed officially from Adeya Parrish to Adeya Parrish Young-White. “I am also requesting that I have full custody of Adeya due to [Kehlani]’s busy schedule, her relationship with the cult that she is involved in,” the filing reads.
“I am not here to disparage [Kehlani]. However, the environment that she has created for her self is not the type of environment that a child should be living and therefore, I bring myself to the mercy and wisdom of the Court to save my daughter before it is too late,” he concluded in his filing.
Kehlani has not yet publicly responded to the allegations in Young-White’s petition for custody. Billboard has reached out to reps for both the singer and her former partner for comment.
Puddle of Mudd lead singer Wes Scantlin was arrested after allegedly resisting arrest during a traffic stop. On Wednesday (July 31), the 52-year-old rocker was pulled over for a traffic violation by police in Burbank, Calif. During the stop, officials discovered Scantlin had an outstanding warrant from a previous crime for allegedly having a weapon […]