andPOP » copyright infringement

Lil Wayne Sued for Copyright Infringement

Vanessa Baker — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:13:39 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Rappers Lil Wayne and Birdman are being sued by Thomas Marasciullo, who claims they used his voice on several tracks without permission, reports CBC.

Marasciullo recorded some spoken word recordings for Birdman’s label Cash Money Records in 2006. He claims they were used without his knowledge on four tracks on the pair’s joint album Like Father, Like Son and five tracks on Birdman’s 5 (Star) Stunna. He claims when he asked for compensation, he was fired as a recording engineer at the record company.

Last week, Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He will be sentenced in February and faces possible jail time.

Black Crowes to Gretchen Wilson: ‘You’re a thief’

andPOP Staff — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:59:57 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Gretchen Wilson’s new single “Work Hard, Play Harder” has a couple of songbirds cawing foul.

The Black Crowes have filed a copyright-infringement suit against Wilson, accusing her of stealing parts from their 1991 hit “Jealous Again” on her new single.

The Crowes have also filed a suit against her label, Sony BMG, her publishing company, J Money Music, and TNT, a cable T.V. network that uses Wilson’s sing in promotional videos for the new season of Saving Grace.

Gretchen Wilson first made a splash in the country music scene in 2004 with her hit “Red Neck Woman.” And according to the Black Crowes, she’s more than just a red neck woman. She’s a thief.

“We find the musical verses of Wilson’s song to be such an obvious example of copyright infringement that I expect all parties to reach a relatively quick resolution to avoid legalization,” said The Crowes manager.

Torrent Site Fined $111 Million For Copyright Infringement

andPOP Staff — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:46:32 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

A two year legal battle between the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and file sharing website TorrentSpy.com has come to an end.

On Monday, a U.S. District Court judge in Los Angeles, California fined the operators of the website, Valence Media LLC, $111 million US dollars. Thirty thousand dollars per violation for nearly 3,700 illegal movie and television show downloads.

The MPAA demanded that TorrentSpy release the IP addresses of its members and the company refused.

TorrentSpy’s lawyers have sought bankruptcy protection in the United Kingdom and are requesting that the judgment be stayed.

Though it is unlikely that the studios will ever see a dime, MPAA chairman and CEO Dan Glickman said, “The demise of TorrentSpy is a clear victory for the studios.”

The site shut down in March.