Kanye West Hit With Copyright Lawsuit Over 'Life of The Party'
Blake Brittain
11/11/2022 1:35:51 PM
Blake Brittain wrote this article in Reuters:
Ye, the rapper, designer and entrepreneur formerly known as Kanye West, is facing a new copyright lawsuit over allegations that his song "Life of the Party" copies a track by rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions without permission.
Phase One Network Inc, which said it owns copyright interests in Boogie Down's "South Bronx," sued Ye and his former label Universal Music Group in New York federal court on Monday. The lawsuit claims "Life of the Party" includes an "exact reproduction" of horn hits, a drum part, and a melody from Boogie Down's song.
"This appears to be an ongoing practice of Mr. West, using other people's music without paying for it," Phase One's attorney Gary Adelman of Adelman Matz said Tuesday. "Using music without permission violates the copyright law and hurts artists."
Representatives for Ye and UMG did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Many business partners and lawyers have cut ties with Ye following antisemitic comments he made earlier this year.
"Life of the Party," which features Outkast rapper André 3000, appeared on the deluxe version of Ye's hit album "Donda" released last November.
Monday's lawsuit also names as a defendant British company Kano Computing Ltd, which developed a handheld device called Stem Player with Ye where "Life of the Party" was also released.
Phase One claims the version of "Life of the Party" released on the Stem Player and featured in advertisements for the device infringes its copyrights.
A spokesperson for Kano said Tuesday that the company is investigating the claims, and that it had been "assured repeatedly that Kanye" and his company Yeezy Tech "provides music with 'all intellectual property rights, licenses and consents.'"
"This was important to us, because STEM is built from the ground up as a more fair and immersive alternative to the current music business," the spokesperson said.
According to the lawsuit, representatives for Ye reached out asking to approve his use of "South Bronx" last July, but the parties never reached an agreement.
The complaint said Ye "retracted" the license request in November, shortly after the deluxe version of "Donda" came out.
Phase One requested an unspecified amount of money damages and asked the court to block Ye's use of the sample.
Ye and Kano were also sued in June over a sample of house musician Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body" in his "Donda 2" track "Flowers."
The rapper faced another lawsuit in May from a pastor whose sermon he allegedly misused in the song "Come to Life" from "Donda." The pastor, David Paul Moten, moved to dismiss his lawsuit shortly after it was filed.
Ye has also settled disputes over samples of a Hungarian singer on the 2013 song "New Slaves;" a child's prayer on the 2016 song "Ultralight Beam;" and a theater work about activist Marcus Garvey on "Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)," a 2018 collaboration with rapper Kid Cudi.
The case is Phase One Network Inc v. Ye, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:22-cv-09511.
For Phase One: Sarah Matz and Gary Adelman of Adelman Matz
For Ye and Kano: attorney information not available
Ye, the rapper, designer and entrepreneur formerly known as Kanye West, is facing a new copyright lawsuit over allegations that his song "Life of the Party" copies a track by rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions without permission.
Phase One Network Inc, which said it owns copyright interests in Boogie Down's "South Bronx," sued Ye and his former label Universal Music Group in New York federal court on Monday. The lawsuit claims "Life of the Party" includes an "exact reproduction" of horn hits, a drum part, and a melody from Boogie Down's song.
"This appears to be an ongoing practice of Mr. West, using other people's music without paying for it," Phase One's attorney Gary Adelman of Adelman Matz said Tuesday. "Using music without permission violates the copyright law and hurts artists."
Representatives for Ye and UMG did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Many business partners and lawyers have cut ties with Ye following antisemitic comments he made earlier this year.
"Life of the Party," which features Outkast rapper André 3000, appeared on the deluxe version of Ye's hit album "Donda" released last November.
Monday's lawsuit also names as a defendant British company Kano Computing Ltd, which developed a handheld device called Stem Player with Ye where "Life of the Party" was also released.
Phase One claims the version of "Life of the Party" released on the Stem Player and featured in advertisements for the device infringes its copyrights.
A spokesperson for Kano said Tuesday that the company is investigating the claims, and that it had been "assured repeatedly that Kanye" and his company Yeezy Tech "provides music with 'all intellectual property rights, licenses and consents.'"
"This was important to us, because STEM is built from the ground up as a more fair and immersive alternative to the current music business," the spokesperson said.
According to the lawsuit, representatives for Ye reached out asking to approve his use of "South Bronx" last July, but the parties never reached an agreement.
The complaint said Ye "retracted" the license request in November, shortly after the deluxe version of "Donda" came out.
Phase One requested an unspecified amount of money damages and asked the court to block Ye's use of the sample.
Ye and Kano were also sued in June over a sample of house musician Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body" in his "Donda 2" track "Flowers."
The rapper faced another lawsuit in May from a pastor whose sermon he allegedly misused in the song "Come to Life" from "Donda." The pastor, David Paul Moten, moved to dismiss his lawsuit shortly after it was filed.
Ye has also settled disputes over samples of a Hungarian singer on the 2013 song "New Slaves;" a child's prayer on the 2016 song "Ultralight Beam;" and a theater work about activist Marcus Garvey on "Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)," a 2018 collaboration with rapper Kid Cudi.
The case is Phase One Network Inc v. Ye, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:22-cv-09511.
For Phase One: Sarah Matz and Gary Adelman of Adelman Matz
For Ye and Kano: attorney information not available