Another day, another copyright infringement lawsuit in the music industry. It seems like they are never ending these days! The most recent high profile case involves Rob Thicke, Pharrel Williams and Marvin Gaye. The ruling is highly controversial and many think it will set a dangerous precedent in future applications of copyright law. Find out about this case and check out the list we compiled of the most high profile, significant, and intriguing cases of all time.
Mark Ronson vs. The Gap Band, the Sequence, Zapp and Collage (2015–2018)
When Mark Ronson released “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars in 2014 it started a wave of controversy. “Oops Upside Your Head” by the Gap Band (1979), “Funk You Up” by the Sequence (1979), “More Bounce to the Ounce” by Zapp (1980), “Young Girls” by Collage (1983) are just some of the bands and songs involved in accusing Ronson of wrongdoing. Most of the cases against the song are still pending, and some have been resolved outside of court. The importance of this case is it puts into question what constitutes an original song especially in the era where digital music samples are increasingly used in artists songs.
Mark Ronson And Bruno Mars Vs. The Sequence
Lana Del Rey Vs. Radiohead (2018)
This case case involves the song “Get Free” by Lana Del Ray and “Creep” of Radiohead. Radiohead claimed they should get 100% of the publishing rights for the song, and Del Ray continually denied accusations of plagiarism. She eventually wanted to compromise by allowing them 40% of publishing rights, but Radiohead refused. The case has yet to go to trial and it does not seem like there will be a settlement agreement.
Lana Del Ray Vs. Radiohead
