3 Count: Snoop Suit

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1: Snoop Dogg Sued for Copyright Infringement Over Alleged Use of Two Backing Tracks on B.O.D.R.

First off today, Murray Stassen at Music Business Worldwide reports that musician and producer Trevor Lawrence Jr. has filed a lawsuit against Snoop Dogg, Death Row Records and others related to the 2022 Snoop Dogg album B.O.D.R.

According to the lawsuit, Lawrence routinely authors and performs backing tracks for musicians he works with, including Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Ed Sheeran and others. He says that, in 2020, he presented some examples of those tracks to Snoop Dogg for “experimentation.” However, he accuses Snoop Dogg of not securing a license before using the tracks on the album.

The complaint claims direct, contributory and vicarious copyright infringement. It is seeking damages and an injunction prohibiting any future infringement.

2: Ye Faces Another Copyright Lawsuit Over Sampling: ‘Blatant Theft of Musical Property’

Next up today, Bill Donahue at Billboard reports that Ye (formerly Kanye West) is facing yet another lawsuit over an allegedly infringing sample.

This lawsuit was filed by four creators who claim that Ye used their song, entitled MSD PT2 when creating his tracks Hurricane and Moon, both of which were released in 2021. The plaintiffs claim that they forbade Ye from using the tracks, but he did so anyway. As proof of the use, they note that they were credited in the album’s notes, though no agreement had been signed.

The lawsuit follows a similar one filed by the Donna Summers estate, which was recently settled out of court.

3: Koei Tecmo and Youzu Reach Settlement on Copyright Infringement Suit

Finally, today, Justin Carter at Game Developer reports that Koei Tecmo has settled with the mobile development studio Youzu, ending a three-month-old lawsuit.

Koei filed the lawsuit alleging that Youza had used assets from various Koei games to make their moble-focused titles. Koei claims to have previously approached the studio over this and received a “voluntary promise” to cease infringing. However, the infringement continued, prompting the lawsuit.

Youzu has admitted to the infringement and formally apologized. It has said it will take “decided measures” to prevent future infringement. Further details about the settlement are not known. It is also unclear on what impact this will have on current and future Youzu projects.

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