Copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner. This illegal activity occurs often in the entertainment business in the form of illegal usage of music, illegal usage of artwork and the pirating of television or movie productions, just to name a few.
Here are some examples of Intellectual Property (IP) infringement lawsuits involving some of the biggest names in entertainment.
The Black-Eyed Peas are megastars in the world of music. However, even the biggest names are not immune to the occasional lawsuit. The group is being sued by a couple of songwriters who claim that the group has stolen their music. Songwriter Bryan Pringle claims that the group stole his song “Take A Dive” and changed it to the super hit “I Got A Feeling”, which sold over 5.5 million digital downloads. In a separate lawsuit, music artist Ebony “Phoenix Phenom” Batts and her producer Manfred Mohr, claim that the Peas used their song “Boom Dynamite” to make the hit “Boom Boom Pow”. The latter song sold 5.2 million digital downloads. Both cases look to give the plaintiffs’ the net profits from those songs.
Alternative Rock band Green Day is also being sued for copyright infringement. However, in this case, it’s not for theft of music. Green Day is being sued for the illegal use of a piece of artwork used in a graphic image for their stage setting during their world concert tour for the American Idiot.
Artist Derek Sheltzer is claiming that the band illegally used an original piece called “Scream Icon”, and is requesting $30,000 to $150,000 per infringement.
Zumba Fitness, creators of Latin music-based aerobic DVDs, clothing and dance class programs, has filed multiple lawsuits in California and other states in an attempt to curtail the piracy of Zumba products. One such case is against Hector De Anda for trademark infringements. Zumba has also filed similar cases in the United Kingdom, and considering filing cases in Australia and Eastern Europe.
The dream of making it big in the entertainment business can quickly turn into a nightmare. The improper usage of someone else’s materials can bring even the most iconic musician, actor or artist to their professional doom. When an aspiring performer does not take the time to research and utilize the proper licenses and permits, it can lead to disaster.
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