This is The Legal Beat, a weekly music law newsletter from Billboard Pro, bringing you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, landmark decisions and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: Mary J. Blige's 1992 “Real Love” is drawing a new copyright case over a funk song with a storied history in both hip-hop and music law. Madonna hits back at angry fans who sued over delayed concerts. Morgan Wallen is charged with multiple felonies after allegedly throwing a chair off the roof of a Nashville bar. and many more.
THE BIG STORY: Sampling Saga
If you've listened to any significant amount of rap music in the past 30 years, you've probably heard the Honey Drippers' “Impeach the President” — a legendary piece of hip-hop source material with a drum track that's been sampled or jammed literally hundreds of times, including Run -DMC, Biggie, Tupac, Dr. Dre and many others.
And, it is alleged thatby Mary J. Blige.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Tuff City Records alleged that Blige's 1992 classic “Real Love,” which spent 31 weeks on the Hot 100 in 1992, contained an unauthorized sample from “Impeach.” The suit alleges that Universal Music Publishing has “repeatedly refused” to pay for the underlying composition, even though UMG Recordings has already agreed to a settlement covering the master.
The new lawsuit is the latest chapter in a story that dates back several decades, beginning with a landmark case in 1991 over an LL Cool J song that also included “Impeach” — a legal battle that would ultimately prove to be the beginning of fundamental changes in the way music industry and the courts faced sampling.
Other top stories this week…
MADONNA CONCERT FUNDING – The Material Girl has hit back at a class-action lawsuit filed by New York City fans who are angry that her concerts started later than scheduled, asking that the case be dismissed. Madonna's lawyers argued that having to “wake up early the next day for work” is not the kind of “known injury” that someone can sue for, and that “no Madonna fan” has a “reasonable expectation” that the her appearances will start on time. .
Last night (SUPPOSED) – Morgan Wallen was arrested in Nashville and charged with three felony counts of reckless endangerment over allegations he threw a chair off the six-story roof of a popular bar on the city's busy Broadway Street, allegedly ignoring several police officers. He was later released on bail, his lawyer said Advertising sign “He was fully cooperating with the authorities.”
RAMONES FILM CONDUCT – The brother of Joey Ramone (Mickey Leigh) has responded to a lawsuit filed by Johnny Ramone's widow (Linda Cummings-Ramone) over a planned Netflix movie about the pioneering punk band, calling the case “baseless and weak” and claiming that indeed signed such a project years ago.
WHAT COPYRIGHT DISCLOSURE – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has introduced new legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would require artificial intelligence companies to disclose which copyrighted works were used to train their models or face financial penalties. The measure would not directly require payment to artists, but would certainly make it easier for copyright holders to file infringement cases against AI companies seeking such compensation.
NEW DIDDY ABUSE CASE – Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with yet another sexual abuse case, this time centering on allegations that his son Christian “King” Combs assaulted an employee on a luxury yacht in the Caribbean. The case, one of several against Didi in the past six months, alleged he “fostered an environment of debauchery” that enabled his son's behavior.
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY – Tyrone Blackburn, an attorney who has filed two of the pending sexual assault cases against Combs, could face possible discipline himself. In a scathing ruling last week, a federal judge in an unrelated lawsuit referred him to the court's grievance panel for his “pattern of conduct” in which he allegedly “improperly files cases in federal court to gain media attention, to embarrasses defendants with malicious allegations. and pressure the defendants to settle quickly.”
WAVE CONCEPTION FOR SHOOTING – The rapper was arrested on gun charges in Florida for alleged connections to a shooting last month at a sports bar in St. Petersburg. In a press conference after the arrest, police claimed the alleged attackers used a getaway car registered to Wave and fled to a house he had rented, where they later discovered two rifles and other items.
MORE WEIRD DONDA POWERS – Kanye West has been hit with another lawsuit filed by a former employee at Doda Academy, this time accusing him of discriminating against Black executives. Like many previous cases by former employees, the case included bizarre allegations about conditions inside the school — including that West told students to “shave their heads” and that he “intended to put a prison in the school” where students could be “locked”. in cages.”
