Shockwaves were sent through the entertainment world as a jury ordered Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke to pay $5 million to Marvin Gaye’s estate for a copyright infringement. Williams and…
Category: Music Industry
“You Own It, You Better Never Let It Go”: Distinguishing Permissible Borrowing from Copyright Infringement in Music
Can alterations in the sonic bed, piano figures, guitar and string lines in a musical composition save it from damages for copyright infringement of the original? The High Court of…
Hearing and Healing: Indigenous Artists Talk Music and Reconciliation at the 2017 Global Forum Breakfast
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending Canadian Music Week’s 2017 Global Forum Networking Breakfast – a Music Canada sponsored event that celebrates and recognizes individuals and organizations in…
Not-So-Compulsory Licence: a Proposed (and Rejected) Solution to Copyright Infringement in Derivative Musical Works
In a recent MTV news article, author Miles Raymer opined over the “hopelessly broken” state of the US copyright system. While such a sweeping statement clearly oversimplifies the state of…
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make (Your Own) Lemonade: Beyoncé Sued for Her Latest Album Trailer
Beyoncé’s Lemonade left a sour taste in at least one person’s mouth. Matthew Fulks, a Louisville-based filmmaker and creative director at the WDRB Kentucky news station, is taking the singer…
Stairway to Infringement
Intro: “The Hook” This summer, an American jury found that “Stairway to Heaven” [hereafter Stairway] rockers Led Zeppelin did not infringe the song “Taurus” [hereafter Taurus], performed by the band…