Wixen, an exclusive licensee of songs such as “Free Fallin” by Tom Petty, “Light My Fire” by the Doors, (Girl We Got a) Good Thing by Weezer and works of singers such as Stevie Nicks, is seeking damages worth at least $1.6 billion along with injunctive relief.

Spotify failed to get a direct or a compulsory license from Wixen that would allow it to reproduce and distribute the songs, Wixen said in the lawsuit, filed in a California federal court.

Wixen also alleged that Spotify outsourced its work to a third party, licensing and royalty services provider the Harry Fox Agency, which was “ill-equipped to obtain all the necessary mechanical licenses”.

Spotify declined to comment.

In May, the Stockholm, Sweden-based company agreed to pay more than $43 million to settle a proposed class action alleging it failed to pay royalties for some of the songs it makes available to users.

Spotify, which is planning a stock market listing this year, has grown around 20 percent in value to at least $19 billion in the past few months.

–

Source: Reuters

The post Spotify hit with $1.6 billion copyright lawsuit appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The National Party used a track with a similar melody and rhythm to Eminem’s Lose Yourself in an election advert.
The song, entitled Eminem-esque, bore only minimal differences to the original, according to a court ruling.

The case, which began in May, is the latest to test the legality of so-called sound-alike music.

Eminem’s music publisher, Eight Mile Style, filed proceedings after the National Party used an unlicensed version of the Oscar-winning song in a 2014 campaign advert.

The party’s lawyers had argued that the track used was not actually Lose Yourself, but a song called Eminem-esque, which they bought from a stock music library.

However the court ruled on Wednesday that the track was “sufficiently similar” to Eminem’s “highly original work”, adding that it did indeed infringe copyright laws.

The judgment considered the drum patterns, background chords and violin tones of each version, all of which it said bore “close similarities”.

“The nature of the use is not what Eminem or Eight Mile Style would endorse,” the judgment added.

Eminem’s Lose Yourself, which appeared in the rapper’s 2002 film 8 Mile, is one of his biggest hits.

The backing track used in the National Party’s advert, which appeared more than 100 times on TV during the 2014 campaign, had been taken from a library made by production music company Beatbox.

Songs which sound similar to famous tracks – but different enough to avoid breaching copyright – routinely feature in free-to-use commercial music libraries.

–

Source: BBC

The post Eminem wins damages in New Zealand copyright case appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Association also says government has delayed in releasing clearance letters for the students.

In an interview with Citi News, the Public Relations Officer of the Association, Rabbi Abroso said they will only rescind their decision if government addresses their concerns.

According to him, though the Association has written to government, there has been no response.

Mr. Abroso stated that government’s refusal to pay their allowance is making their work difficult.

“We go for clinical and then we have to purchase some petty items such as gloves which they use in caring for the patient so it is very expensive and we are paying exorbitant fees.”

Mr. Abroso noted that the Association has therefore instructed all students to stay away from their clinicals in their respective hospitals until their grievances are resolved.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Trainee nurses threaten to strike over allowances appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.