Second Cir. Hears Appeal Against Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records

On Wednesday, January 13, 2016, defendants Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records urged a Second Circuit panel of judges that music producer, Chauncey Mahan, missed the statute of limitations to bring a copyright suit claiming co-ownership for dozens of songs released by Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records between 1999 and 2000.

Chauncey Mahan originally brought his claim in 2014 and it was later dismissed in April of 2015, awarding the defendants $250,000 in legal fees based on a finding that the claims were unreasonable and frivolous. Mahan has …

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99 Problems And A Lawsuit’s One: Jay-Z Streaming Companies Sued Over Lil Wayne Tracks

A lawsuit was filed in New York on Thursday by rapper Lil Wayne’s label company Cash Money Records against rapper Jay-Z’s streaming services including Aspiro and WiMP Music, which operates a streaming service known as Tidal. The lawsuit alleges that Defendants wrongfully engaged in the early release of Lil Wayne’s newest album, and that Defendants are hurting CMR’s investments in Lil Wayne.

In CMR’s court filings, it alleges the following of Defendant streaming companies:

[Defendant’s actions] are a desperate and illegal attempt to save their

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X Marks the Spot: Parties Skirmish in Dez Bryant Branding Lawsuit

Dez Bryant, a famed wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys who is also known for crossing his arms in an X after successful plays, is now the focus of a brewing legal battle between Jay-Z’s Roc Nation LLC and Official Brands Inc., a Florida-based sports marketing firm.

The lawsuit was filed in Texas state court by Official Brands, which claims that Roc Nation engaged in tortious interference with regards to theirs and Bryant’s business relationship. More specifically, the lawsuit arises out of Bryant’s agent change …

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Jay-Z Sanctioned as “Big Pimpin’” Copyright Trial Date Approaches

On Thursday, May 28, a federal judge in California sanctioned Jay-Z for his failure to properly comply with a discovery request in the current litigation regarding Jay Z’s sampling of the Egyptian song “Khosara, Khosara” for use in his hit single “Big Pimpin’.” Jay Z was ordered to pay plaintiff Osama Ahmed Fahmy $3,000 for the expenses and attorneys’ fees Fahmy incurred while compelling the production of an unredacted agreement between Jay Z and concert-promotion company Live Nation.

Fahmy had originally requested $15,000 in attorneys’ …

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8-Year Old Lawsuit Over Jay Z’s “Big Pimpin’” Going to Trial

The lawsuit over Jay Z’s sampling of an Egyptian tune in his hit “Big Pimpin’” may come to an end in October when a jury decides whether the rapper had the right to use the Egyptian composition.

Claiming that he is an heir of the composer Baligh Hamdy, Osama Ahmed Fahmy in 2007 sued Jay Z as well as Timbaland, Paramount Pictures, Warner Music, UMG and MTV.  He alleged that the rapper sampled the tune titled “Khosara, Khosara” from the 1957 film Fata

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“The Blueprint” for an Infringement?

A recently-filed case in a California federal court has Jay-Z and his promoters at Live Nation wondering whether they’ll continue to reap the benefits of the 1999 hit single Big Pimpin’ or whether they’ll be “spending G’s” to clean up a potential infringement posed by a sample looped throughout one of S. Carter’s most famous tracks.  Last week, an Egyptian plaintiff named Osama Ahmed Fahmy sued Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., seeking unspecified actual damages and costs, alleging Live Nation’s continued “use” of Big Pimpin’ in …

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Sampling Not Palpable in “Run This Town” According to Judge

On Thursday, November 13, Jay-Z’s copyright infringement litigation load  lightened up as District Judge Kaplan for the Southern District of New York  filed an Order seemingly favoring Jay-Z.

This good news comes just over a week after yet another federal lawsuit was filed against Jay-Z for allegedly stealing a song, “Made in America.”  In this dispute, Jay-Z is being accused of sampling the song  “Hook & Sling Part 1” in his 2009 hit “Run this Town.”  The Judge’s order states that after several listens, the …

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Jay Z: You Like It, You Own It

Often seen with his choice of drink, a glass of Armand de Brignac, Jay Z announced his purchase of the champagne brand for an undisclosed amount from Sovereign Brands, a New York-based wine and spirits company.

Jay Z’s interest in the champagne has been well known.  When he and his wife Beyonce hosted a fund-raiser for President Obama in 2012, he included a tower of 350 bottles of Armand  de Brignac Champagne.  The champagne even featured in Jay Z’s 2006 music video for “Show Me …

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Man Sues Jay Z and Kanye for Stealing “Made in America”

A musician named Joel Mac filed a copyright infringement suit in New York federal court, claiming that the hip-hop musicians Jay Z, Kanye, and Frank Ocean stole his song.

According to the complaint, Mac allegedly sold a CD containing his 2009 song titled “Made in America” to Mike Dean, one of the producers of Jay Z’s “Watch the Throne” album in 2011 outside a New York hotel where the hip-hop musicians were recording part of the album.  Later, when the album was released, Mac discovered …

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Jay Z Fights Back Copyright Suit Over Sampling of ‘Oh’ in “Run This Town”

Jay Z filed a motion to dismiss a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Record label TufAmerica before a New York federal district court.  The suit alleged that Jay Z and Rihanna’s hit song “Run This Town” sampled the Eddie Bo song “Hook & Sling” without authorization.

According to the filing, Jay Z allegedly misappropriated ‘oh’ sound from “Hook & Sling” throughout “Run This Town.”  In filing the motion to dismiss, Jay Z’s legal team argued that the claim was “misguided” as it was not …

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