And you thought the lawsuits over Prince music were nitpicky, look at this lawsuit for songs that aren't even bootlegs:


pasted from www.amarillonet.com/stori...outh.shtml



Web posted Wednesday, March 12, 2003
4:29 a.m. CT


Musicians sue South Beach

By JIM McBRIDE
jmcbride@amarillonet.com


Attorneys representing singer-songwriters Madonna and Lenny Kravitz are suing the owner of an Amarillo nightclub, alleging the club infringed on their federal copyrights by playing their songs without authorization.

The copyright infringement suit was filed in federal court March 4 against Scott Williams Elkins and Pickerington Bicycle Club, which operates South Beach, 2600 Linda Circle. The suit says the club is owned by Elkins.

The Globe-News was unable to reach South Beach representatives for comment on the suit Tuesday.

According to the suit, the various plaintiffs secured exclusive rights and privileges to copyrights for various songs.

The suit claims the club infringed on the plaintiffs' copyrights by giving public performances of copyrighted songs on the club premises.

The suit claims the defendants have not sought or obtained a license agreement from the plaintiffs or the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, known as ASCAP, a performing rights licensing organization that the plaintiffs belong to.

Plaintiffs claim ASCAP representatives contacted the defendants and sent numerous letters informing them of their liability under federal copyright law and that the defendants have continued to perform copyrighted music without permission during business hours.

Songs named in the lawsuit include "Justify My Love," written by Madonna Ciccone and Lenny Kravitz; "Erotica," written by Madonna and Shep Pettibone; "Nasty," written by James Harris III and Terry Lewis; and "Get the Party Started," written by Linda Perry.

Plaintiffs are seeking between $750 and $30,000 in damages for each of the five counts of copyright infringement named in the suit.

The suit also asks that the club be barred and permanently restrained from publicly performing the songs named in the suit.

That is ridiculous! Do you know how many times I have been in a bar and heard a song and been like "Ooh who is that?" and then gone out and bought it the next day? They should be paying these poor motherfuckers for advertising their stuff and encouraging people to buy it, rather than suing them.

That's outrageous!

What's weird is it's usually ASCAP or BMI out suing bars. Any club with a jukebox has to pay fees to ASCAP and BMI to play copyrighted music. That place probably didn't pay.

""Justify My Love," written by Madonna Ciccone and Lenny Kravitz" stolen to Ingrid Chavez

ASCAP was probably suing the bars on behalf of Madonna and Lenny. That's how it usually works and its is perfectly normal (maybe not right, but normal). They sue I think more for the sake of keeping people aware of the fact that they need the blanket licenses, not because Lenny and Madonna need the extra $30,000 a song -or whatever it was they are suing for.

jnoel said:

Ingrid got paid alot of Hush,Hush Money back in 91.She got a Publishing deal i believe with EMI

Sad and pathetic. I think I'll go to Kazaa and download ALL of their songs just to rip them off. Stupid fuckers.