Legal news
Senate Judiciary Committee “Watching” Ticketmaster Ahead of Beyoncé Ticket Sales
The Taylor Swift pre-sale fiasco prompted the committee to host a hearing about Ticketmaster earlier this year. Senate Judiciary Committee “Watching” Ticketmaster Ahead of Beyoncé Ticket Sales Abby Jones
R Kelly’s State-Level Indictments Dismissed Due to “Limited Resources”
Illinois state attorney Kim Foxx has decided to drop the singer's sexual abuse charges considering his current 30-year federal sentence. R Kelly’s State-Level Indictments Dismissed Due to “Limited Resources” Abby Jones
Rick Astley Sues Yung Gravy for “Indistinguishable” Interpolation of “Never Gonna Give You Up”
Astley's lawyers claim the vocals on Gravy's 2022 smash "Betty (Get Money)" sound a bit too similar to the source material. Rick Astley Sues Yung Gravy for “Indistinguishable” Interpolation of “Never Gonna Give You Up” Abby Jones
The Legal Beat: Megan Thee Stallion’s Deposition Dispute – Plus Journey, Flo Rida & More
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between. This week: A judge says Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez must sit for a deposition in Megan Thee Stallion’s war with her record company, a member of Journey sues his longtime bandmate over allegations of lavish spending, Flo Rida wins an $82 million verdict against a beverage company, and much more. THE BIG STORY: To Depose Or Not To Depose When should a top executive be hauled into a deposition to answer questions in a lawsuit? It’s a difficult question. Make it too hard and you could insulate powerful people from the legal process; make it too easy and attorneys could use it as a form of gamesmanship in case...
Post Foods Sues OK Go Over Right to Use Band’s Name for Instant Cereal
OK Go, the band best known for their viral 2006 treadmill music video, have been sued by Post Foods over the right to continue using the band’s name for a newly launched line of instant cereal cups named OK Go! According to Post’s complaint filed in Minnesota federal court on January 13th (via Billboard), the band had been threatening to sue for months and the company would be “unfairly forced to continue investing in its new OK GO! brand while under the constant threat of unfounded future litigation by defendants.” Post is seeking a declaratory judgment ruling that the company hasn’t done anything wrong, citing its trademark application for OK Go! that was approved in 2022. According to Post, the United States Patent and Trademark Office did not find the cereal line’s name ...
NYPD Filmed Audience Leaving Drake Concert
An NYPD officer filmed the audience leaving Drake’s January 21st concert at the Apollo Theater in New York. Cell phone footage shared on Twitter by the New York Times’s Jon Caramanica captured a uniformed officer holding a camera as the crowd filed out of the main entrance of the Apollo. In a statement to Consequence, a spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information wrote, “The officer depicted in the video is a Community Affairs officer involved with the 28th Precinct’s social media team. The officer was taking video for an upcoming Twitter post that will highlight local community events. The video will not be utilized for any other reason.” Advertisement Related Video The video stoked concerns on social media about the NYPD engaging in surveillance o...
Black Eyed Peas Are Plopped into Legal Battle with Pooping Unicorn Toys
Pooping unicorns might not be the first thing you think of when you think of Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps,” but now that a line of excremental toys play a suspiciously familiar tune, they might be a solid number two. Black Eyed Peas’ music publisher BMG Rights Management aren’t happy about that, and as Reuters reports, BMG is suing the makers of Poopsie Slime Surprise for ripping off “My Humps” with their own song, “My Poops.” Poopsie Slime Surprise comes from MGA, who are responsible for the Bratz line of dolls. According to the lawsuit, “My Poops” plays on one of the dolls when you press a button on its belly, leading both to dance moves and to a less savory movement: the toys “excrete sparkling slime.” “My Poops” can also be heard in a music video made to promote the toys, which...
Black Eyed Peas Are Plopped into Legal Battle with Pooping Unicorn Toys
Pooping unicorns might not be the first thing you think of when you think of Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps,” but now that a line of excremental toys play a suspiciously familiar tune, they might be a solid number two. Black Eyed Peas’ music publisher BMG Rights Management aren’t happy about that, and as Reuters reports, BMG is suing the makers of Poopsie Slime Surprise for ripping off “My Humps” with their own song, “My Poops.” Poopsie Slime Surprise comes from MGA, who are responsible for the Bratz line of dolls. According to the lawsuit, “My Poops” plays on one of the dolls when you press a button on its belly, leading both to dance moves and to a less savory movement: the toys “excrete sparkling slime.” “My Poops” can also be heard in a music video made to promote the toys, which...
Black Eyed Peas Are Plopped into Legal Battle with Pooping Unicorn Toys
Pooping unicorns might not be the first thing you think of when you think of Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps,” but now that a line of excremental toys play a suspiciously familiar tune, they might be a solid number two. Black Eyed Peas’ music publisher BMG Rights Management aren’t happy about that, and as Reuters reports, BMG is suing the makers of Poopsie Slime Surprise for ripping off “My Humps” with their own song, “My Poops.” Poopsie Slime Surprise comes from MGA, who are responsible for the Bratz line of dolls. According to the lawsuit, “My Poops” plays on one of the dolls when you press a button on its belly, leading both to dance moves and to a less savory movement: the toys “excrete sparkling slime.” “My Poops” can also be heard in a music video made to promote the toys, which...
A Room with a View Star Julian Sands Reported Missing After Hiking in San Bernardino
British actor Julian Sands is one of two hikers who went missing last week in San Bernardino County. Police told ABC 7 that Sands’ family reported him missing on Friday evening and rescue teams have launched a search for him. “His wife did report him missing,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Gloria Huerta told ABC 7. “From what I understand, he left sometime that day for a hike and when he did not return, his family reported him missing.” Sands’ car was still parked in the area when the search began. The ongoing investigation has been difficult, however; unusually severe weather in Southern California means the search has been exclusively handled by air crews, and air resources are limited. Advertisement Related Video “The conditions are too dangerous,” Huerta added. “In fact, even some of t...
Alec Baldwin Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter In Rust Shooting
Alec Baldwin will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. “After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew,” New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced Thursday (via Deadline). “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.” Like Baldwin, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Both could face up to $10,000 in fines and a total of over six years in jail. Dave Halls, the film’s first assistant director who handed Baldwin the loaded gun...
Young Thug Trial: Juror Who Left Country Forced to Write 30-Page Essay on Jury Duty
As Young Thug fights for his freedom against RICO charges that have been criticized for prosecutorial overreach, Chief Judge Ural Glanville has punished a prospective juror who left the country by assigning a 30-page essay on jury duty. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Juror No. 64 explained in a January 12th appearance before the court that she had traveled to the Dominican Republic on a business trip. She said that she emailed a copy of her travel itinerary to jury services last week, believing she was in compliance with her duties. When No. 64 didn’t appear for jury duty on January 9th, Glanville sent Fulton County deputies to her home. “I didn’t really know I was in violation until the sheriff showed up,” she said. “I thought I was following directions.” Advertiseme...
