Attorneys Granted Motion for Increased Fees in “Happy Birthday” Copyright Suit Recently a California U.S. District Judge found that Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. did not hold a valid copyright on the song “Happy Birthday To You‚¬, and the song was held to be in the public domain. As part of the judgment, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. was ordered to pay $14 million to reimburse members of the class […] Continue Reading →
“Stairway to Heaven” Holds on to Iconic Riff One of the most iconic rock songs of the 20th Century came under fire earlier this summer for allegations of copyright infringement. The estate of Randy Wolfe, guitarist for Spirit on the song “Taurus,”brought a copyright suit against Led Zeppelin, frontman Robert Plant, and guitarist Jimmy Page alleging infringement of a guitar riff that opens […] Continue Reading →
Under Pressure: The State of Sampling in the Music Industry Earlier this month, Madonna won the appeal of a copyright infringement lawsuit before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The plaintiff, VMG Salsoul LTD., alleged that a tiny (0.23 second!) sample of the horns from the song “Love Break“was used in Madonna’s song “Vogue.‚¬ The majority held that the sample was too small to be […] Continue Reading →
Derivative Works and Remastered Sound Recordings A recently decided court case regarding remastered versions of pre-1972 sound recordings could have significant legal and practical implications for musicians, recording artists, sound engineers, and record labels. Judge Perry Anderson, of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, recently granted Summary Judgment for CBS Radio Inc. in a case brought […] Continue Reading →
Supreme Court Revisits Standard for Awarding Attorneys’ Fees in Copyright Cases Earlier this week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments addressing the relevant standard for awarding attorneys’ fees in cases involving copyright law. The Court’s ruling, expected later this spring, will likely have a significant impact on copyright litigation cases. Section 505 of the Copyright Act provides that a district court “may”award a reasonable attorney’s fee […] Continue Reading →
Does Spotify Owe You Money? Streaming Service Sued for $150 Million in Unpaid Royalties David Lowery, the frontman of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, has recently filed a class action lawsuit seeking at least $150 million dollars in damages against Spotify. Lowry alleges Spotify knowingly, willingly, and unlawfully reproduces and distributes copyrighted compositions without obtaining mechanical licenses. According to the complaint, which was filed December 28th in the Central […] Continue Reading →
Intellectual Property Protection Options for Software In a previous blog post, I discussed some of the recent updates issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office regarding patent eligible subject matter and software patents. As anyone who deals with software patents is aware, there is a lot of uncertainty as to whether software is patent eligible subject matter. While the […] Continue Reading →
Intellectual Property Protection Options for Software In my last blog post, I discussed some of the recent updates issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office regarding patent eligible subject matter and software patents. As anyone who deals with software patents is aware, there is a lot of uncertainty as to whether software is patent eligible subject matter. While the […] Continue Reading →
Political Campaigns & Unauthorized Music As the presidential caucuses approach so do the opportunities for political candidates to end up in the headlines for using unauthorized music in their campaigns. In nearly every campaign cycle you hear about a recording artist upset that a politician or campaign used the artist’s music without authorization. A list of notable disputes include Bruce […] Continue Reading →
Legal Issues in the Music Industry: Music in Film & TV Legal Issues in the Music Industry: Music in Film & TV This is the first blog of many that will focus on the diverse legal issues that affect musicians, artists, songwriters, and other music industry related entities. I routinely get asked the same questions over and over again which I will attempt to break down […] Continue Reading →