Rolling Stones' Copyright Holder Sues Derivative Rapper
Recent Cases
Dwayne Carter, known as "L'il Wayne" to the two or three fans he has, illegally used the Rolling Stones' hit, "Play With Fire," in a "vile ... sexist and offensive" knockoff called "Playing With Fire," ABKCO Music claims in Federal Court.
ABKCO, founded by music mogul Allen Klein, says it owns most of the Mick Jagger-Keith Richards catalogue. The offending ditty is found on "Tha Carter III" album.
ABKCO cites the opening lyrics of the Stones' song: "Well, you've got your diamonds and you've got your pretty clothes / And the chauffeur drives your car / You let everybody know / But don't play with me, cause you're playing with fire" and L'il Wayne's knockoff: "So you've got so many diamonds / You wear all the finest clothes / And your grill is shining / As you're driving down the streets of gold / But you can't blame me if I set this stage on fire."
ABKCO says it hired "noted musicologist" Anthony Ricigliano, who reported that "the similarity [in the music] is apparent to even a layperson's ear." Ricigliano wrote, in a letter attached to the lawsuit, "(M)ost assuredly, the composition Playing With Fire infringes the copyright of Play With Fire."
ABKCO demands disgorgement, an accounting, punitive damages, destruction of the masters and copies, and an injunction. It is represented by Michael Kramer.
Here are the defendants: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. pka Lil Wayne, Nicholas Mark Warwar pka StreetRunner, Jason Desrouleux, Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Group Recordings, Young Money Publishing, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Warner/Chappell Music, and EMI Music Publishing.
Related listings
-
Mother Loses Custody Due To Her Bizarre Behavior
Recent Cases 07/24/2008A California appeals court affirmed the appointment of a guardian ad litem for a girl whose mother led police on a 12-minute high-speed chase with her 7-month-old daughter in tow, kept feces and urine in jars near the kitchen sink, and told relatives...
-
Tommy Tune Sues Manager, Marvin Shulman
Recent Cases 07/22/2008Tommy Tune claims his manager Marvin Shulman took him for a long, expensive ride, overcharging for commissions, taking a commission even on the sale of Tune's home and his capital gains, and outsourcing management duties to third parties, using Tune'...
-
Citizenship Harder To Prove Through Fathers
Recent Cases 07/21/2008An immigration law that extends citizenship to children whose mothers are naturalized does not violate due process by not following the same rule for fathers, the 2nd Circuit ruled. Otis Grant, a Jamaican citizen, was convicted in 1996 of second-degr...
Chicago Business Fraud Attorney
Business Fraud can take many forms. In the broadest terms, a fraud occurs when someone intentionally deceives others for personal gain. Many times business fraud is harmful and recovery is necessary. Losing your personal or business’s assets can devastate your entire life. Contact Roth Law Groupto receive help on restoring your business to normalcy before you were victimized with fraud. Business fraud cases can involve multiple people and complicated schemes aimed at deceiving the public, auditors, investigators, or others. Whether you are dealing with corporate fraud or commercial fraud, we can step in and fight back to receive compensation that you deserve.
At Roth Law Group we are devoted to prosecuting and defending the legal rights of individuals and small businesses, as either plaintiff or defendant. Proving fraud can be extremely difficult. To have a successful business fraud case, one must prove that the defendant purposefully set out to defraud the victim. Fraud cases are being investigated more aggressively than ever. With increasing federal regulation and scrutiny of corporate practises, many individuals and businesses find themselves the subject of business fraud investigations.