Music industry legal news

Cam’ron accuses J Cole of reneging on verse swap deal

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Cam’ron • 2 min read

Cam’ron accuses J Cole of reneging on verse swap deal

Cam’ron has accused J Cole of reneging on a verse swap deal and as a result wants to be declared co-owner of the copyright in Cole’s track ‘Ready 24’. Cam’ron provided a verse for that record on the understanding Cole would return the favour on one of his tracks, but he has failed to do so…

Chris Cooke • 31 Oct 2025

After Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement, big tech takes aim at statutory damages in copyright disputes, seeks Trump’s support

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Artificial Intelligence • 4 min read

After Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement, big tech takes aim at statutory damages in copyright disputes, seeks Trump’s support

Last month Donald Trump asked for more submissions on AI regulation. One lobby group has used its submission to not only argue that AI training is ‘fair use’, but to also criticise statutory damages in US copyright law which it says are unfairly forcing AI companies into billion dollar settlements…

Chris Cooke • 29 Oct 2025

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

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Spotify • 3 min read

Spotify questions MLC’s “motivations” in pursuing audiobook bundling dispute lawsuit

Last month a judge said The MLC could restart its lawsuit over Spotify’s use of a controversial bundling discount to reduce payments to songwriters, but only in relation to how the discount is applied. Spotify now says that’s a “peripheral issue” that will make little difference to writer royalties…

Chris Cooke • 27 Oct 2025

Another blow for Apple’s in-app payments as company loses £1.5 billion competition lawsuit

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Apple • 3 min read

Another blow for Apple’s in-app payments as company loses £1.5 billion competition lawsuit

Apple has lost a class action before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal over its App Store fees, which have long been criticised by Spotify. The tribunal ruled Apple exploited its market dominance to charge excessive fees, which impacted on consumers. It could now face damages of £1.5 billion…

Chris Cooke • 24 Oct 2025

Universal Music beats artists in three separate streaming royalty lawsuits

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Universal Music • 3 min read

Universal Music beats artists in three separate streaming royalty lawsuits

A Dutch court has ruled on three lawsuits filed against Universal by artists who claimed that the major was incorrectly interpreting old record contracts and paying excessively low royalties on streaming income as a result. Judges concluded that the artists had failed to establish that was happening…

Kaya Robertson • 24 Oct 2025

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

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Lizzo • 3 min read

Lizzo is being sued over an uncleared sample - on a track she never released

Lizzo has been sued over an uncleared sample in a track she never released, but which appeared in a social media post responding to Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle Jeans ad campaign. And that’s enough to constitute copyright infringement, according to the owner of the sampled work…

Chris Cooke • 23 Oct 2025

Viagogo is unfair, opaque and violates EU law, consumer group tells regulator

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Viagogo • 2 min read

Viagogo is unfair, opaque and violates EU law, consumer group tells regulator

Viagogo is violating the EU’s Digital Services Act, according to Euroconsumers, which has filed a complaint with the regulator in Ireland. A Viagogo spokesperson insists the company is DSA compliant, but Euroconsumers says it violates various rules, including know your business customer requirements…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2025

Suno doesn’t understand copyright law and is wrong about stream-ripping rules, say major labels

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Suno • 3 min read

Suno doesn’t understand copyright law and is wrong about stream-ripping rules, say major labels

The majors have made another filing in their legal battle with Suno. They want to add claims that the AI company sourced its training data by illegally stream-ripping audio from YouTube. Suno insists it didn’t violate stream-ripping rules in US law, but the majors say Suno is misreading those rules…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2025

DSW Shoe Warehouse lawsuit over TikTok copyright infringement is nothing more than “forum-shopping”, says Sony Music

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Sony Music • 2 min read

DSW Shoe Warehouse lawsuit over TikTok copyright infringement is nothing more than “forum-shopping”, says Sony Music

Earlier this year DSW Shoe Warehouse filed a lawsuit against Sony Music asking a judge to rule it didn’t infringe the major’s copyrights by putting pop music into its TikTok videos. That sneakily preempted Sony’s own infringement lawsuit against DSW. Sony now wants the DSW litigation dismissed…

Chris Cooke • 22 Oct 2025

Attorneys bicker as the big ‘dembow riddim’ copyright case progresses

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Steely & Clevie • 3 min read

Attorneys bicker as the big ‘dembow riddim’ copyright case progresses

Last year a US judge declined to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses thousands of reggaeton releases of infringing the copyright in the ‘dembow riddim’, which originates in a 1989 track from Steely & Clevie. Attorneys working on the case are currently busy accusing each other of bad conduct…

Chris Cooke • 21 Oct 2025

Ticketmaster says FTC allegations it colluded with touts “nonsensical”, but it is changing some of its rules and shutting down TradeDesk

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Ticketmaster • 4 min read

Ticketmaster says FTC allegations it colluded with touts “nonsensical”, but it is changing some of its rules and shutting down TradeDesk

Last month the US Federal Trade Commission sued Ticketmaster, accusing the Live Nation company of colluding with dodgy ticket touts. That prompted a letter from concerned senators. In response, Ticketmaster denies collusion and rejects the FTC’s claims, but says it is changing some of its own rules…

Chris Cooke • 20 Oct 2025

Slipknot sue cybersquatter that has controlled the band’s dotcom domain since 2001

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Slipknot • 3 min read

Slipknot sue cybersquatter that has controlled the band’s dotcom domain since 2001

Slipknot have never owned the dotcom domain that uses their band name, an unknown third party having registered it back in 2001. But the band now claims that that third party is using the domain in bad faith and therefore violating US cybersquatting laws, as well as infringing their trademarks…

Chris Cooke • 20 Oct 2025

Music industry legal news coverage