3 Count: Christmas in August

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1: Ex-Vocalist for Cleveland Metal Band Mushroomhead Sues Fellow Co-Founder, Accusing Copyright Infringement

First off today, Luces Daprile at Cleveland.com reports that a former vocalist for the metal band Mushroomhead has filed a lawsuit against a former bandmate over alleged copyright infringement.

Jeffrey Hatrix filed the lawsuit, claiming that his co-founder, Steven Felton, has failed to pay him royalties over the past few years. Hatrix left the group in 2018 but has writing credits on at least 148 songs with the band. The lawsuit alleges that Felton double-paid himself by giving false royalty information.

Hatrix does not have access to the band’s finances or know how much he is owed. However, he said that he has not received royalties for several years. He also claims parts of the Mushroomhead trademark, which is still in use.

2: Kim Dotcom’s Extradition to the U.S. Given Green Light By New Zealand

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has approved Kim Dotcom’s extradition to the United States, setting the stage for a possible trial in the US.

Dotcom was arrested in January 2012 over widespread piracy on his Megaupload file-sharing service. Since then, the United States has sought to extradite him from New Zealand, and the case has dragged on for more than 12 years.

If extradited, he faces charges of criminal copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering. However, despite the setback, Doctom claims to have a plan and that he doesn’t intend to leave New Zealand,

3: Mariah Carey Asks Judge to Drop ‘All I Want for Christmas’ Copyright Lawsuit

Finally, today, Chris Eggertsen at Billboard reports that Mariah Carey is asking a court to dismiss a lawsuit against her over her hit song All I Want for Christmas is You.

Andy Stone, who performs under the name Vince Vance, filed the lawsuit in November. Stone claimed that Carey’s 1994 song infringed on his 1989 song of the same name. He originally filed the lawsuit in 2022 but dropped it abruptly. This second lawsuit includes a co-author of Stone’s version.

However, Carey is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit. She claims that, other than the title, the works are not similar. She has filed a motion to dismiss, saying that the two works are different and that any similarities are coincidental and not protectable under copyright.

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