Lady Gaga’s Former Producer to Pay Talent Scout $7.3M

US District Court in New Jersey ruled that Rob Fusari, Gaga’s former producer and business partner, must pay Wendy Starland, a woman who discovered Gaga, $7.3 million pursuant to their compensation agreement signed in 2005.

The agreement required Starland to find “an artist under the age of 25 who could be the female equivalent to the lead singer of the Strokes.” According to Starland, she attended about 50 live performances and conducted online search for an artist who was “edgy and bold.”

After Starland …

June 23, 2014 Copyright / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Music

Judge Dismisses Copyright Lawsuit Against Lady Gaga

“Simply listening to the songs, as the law requires, reveals their utter lack of similarity,” wrote U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen in his decision to dismiss the lawsuit. Lady Gaga’s legal battle started back in 2011 when a Chicago singer Rebecca Francescatti sued the pop star alleging Gaga plagiarized parts of her 1999 song “Juda” for Lady Gaga’s hit “Judas” released in 2011.

In a copyright infringement case, the court looks at whether the defendant had access to the plaintiff’s work and how similar the …