This is The Legal Beat, Billboard Pro’s weekly newsletter on music law, giving you your one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between.
This week: Diddy faces a sweeping criminal indictment alleging decades of sexual abuse; Miley Cyrus hit over alleged copyright infringement of Bruno Mars song litigation. Eddie Grant wins case against Donald Trump over use of ‘Electric Avenue’ in campaign video; and more.
The Big Story: The Downfall of Diddy
Less than a year after news broke of a civil lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs over allegations of brutal sexual abuse, the other shoe has finally dropped.
The once-powerful rapper was arrested Monday night in New York City on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. When prosecutors unsealed the indictment on Tuesday, they detailed a massive criminal operation that had a single goal: “to satisfy Combs’ personal desires, particularly those related to sexual gratification.”
“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced the women and others around him in order to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” the indictment reads. If convicted. , Combs faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Combs was arraigned in federal court late Tuesday and was denied bail and is being held in jail until his final trial. The judge said Diddy was a flight risk and a potential danger to others, and prosecutors described him as a “serial abuser” with a history of violence and witness intimidation.
In many ways, the charges against Diddy are similar to those against R. Kelly.
Like Kelly, prosecutors targeted Coombs under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a federal statute that prohibits criminal enterprises involving more than one person. While RICO is best known as a tool against gangs and drug cartels, the Kelly case proved it could be just as effective against a superstar musician who used his fame and money to build what amounted to a Organization of a criminal organization – simply an organization designed to promote a criminal organization.
Like Kelly’s case, Coombs’ prosecution raises sharp questions about why it took law enforcement so long to take action. When asked directly at a news conference on Tuesday, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams demurred: “I can’t tell you why it took so long. I think the better point is we’re here today, We are committed to ensuring justice is served.
Want to know more case details, Go read our full story Regarding the indictment against Combs, including review of charging documents and prosecutor’s statements, as well as our Bail hearing coverage. Please continue to pay attention to the progress of the case, because advertising billboard We will keep you informed of every development.
Another big story: Can I write my own songs?
Nearly two years ago, fans speculated that Miley Cyrus’ chart-topping song “Flowers” pointedly referenced Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” Your Man), a company that owns parts of the song is suing her for copyright infringement.
The complaint was filed not by Mars himself, but by an entity called Tempo Music Investments, which purchased some of the rights to his songs from one of his co-writers. In it, the group’s lawyers claim the two songs bear “striking similarities.”
Regardless of whether they are “catchy” or not, these songs have a clear connection. In the long tradition of “answer songs,” Cyrus inverted Mars’ lyrics and seemed to contradict them over and over again — at one point, Cyrus told fans “I could buy myself flowers,” while Mars said “I should I’ll buy you flowers.” What is the reason for the reference? Mars’ song is apparently a favorite of Cyrus’ ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, and it’s theorized that the song she repeatedly mentioned was a reference to their breakup.
At the time, legal experts told advertising billboard Cyrus may not be infringing on copyright simply by using similar lyrics in response to a previous song. This week’s lawsuit claims the similarities extend far beyond lyrics and include “melodic and harmonic material,” “pitch ending patterns” and “bass line structure.”
But experts remain skeptical. To understand why, Go read our full storyincluding comments from copyright attorneys and access to the full complaint filed against Cyrus.
Other hot news this week…
“Electrical” infringement – Federal judge rules against Donald Trump Copyright infringement Eddie Grant’s iconic “Electric Avenue” was used in the 2020 campaign video without permission. Trump claimed he had a legal and fair use of the song by using it in a video attacking Joe Biden, but a judge called it “wholesale copying of music to accompany a political campaign ad.” Next up: a ruling on how much damages Grant should be liable for.
More daddy -Tuesday’s indictment overshadows everything else, but it’s not the only Diddy story of the past week. Rapper gets hit new civil action Dawn Richard, winner of the MTV Band Making Competition, said he subjected her to years of “abuse and exploitation”. He also move aside A Michigan inmate won a $100 million default judgment, arguing that he never received “frivolous” sexual assault accusations and that he could have easily dismissed them if he had.
Dolan testimony – Federal judge rules Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan Must appear in court to testify In 2017, notorious former NBA player Charles Oakley was ejected from the Manhattan Arena, ruling that the CEO had “courtside seats” in the incident. Defense attorneys argued that Dolan, who also controls Las Vegas Arena and Radio City Music Hall, should not have been dragged into the deposition in person, but the judge said the executive “may have information that could not be obtained from other witnesses.” Relevant knowledge gained”.
interest rate debate – Body mass index File a rate setting case SiriusXM filed a lawsuit in federal court against SiriusXM after more than two years of negotiations failed to reach an agreement, saying the broadcaster is “no longer a startup” and must pay songwriters more. Beyond that, BMI points out that SiriusXM is increasingly relying on online streaming rather than old-school satellite radio. “Digital music services pay BMI higher rates than satellite radio, and the new SiriusXM rates should reflect this expansion of digital performances.”
Taylor’s endorsement – When Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president, the singer said she was inspired to take action by her Fear of artificial intelligence — namely, an incident last month in which Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image falsely claiming to have the superstar’s endorsement. Experts tell advertising billboard Swift could have sued Trump at the time, but they predict (It turns out, it turns out) There’s a way the star might be fighting Trump’s falsehoods legal A recognition of herself.
medicine wars – Johnson & Johnson Encountered copyright litigation Accused the pharmaceutical giant of “rampant infringement” of instrumental music in YouTube and Facebook videos. Associated Production Music (APM) – a joint venture between Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing – claims Johnson posted nearly 80 different Internet videos containing unlicensed music from its catalog.
