Kanye West sued over his song “Life of the Party” for copyright infringement by Phase One Network Inc, which said West never got permission to sample Boogie Down’s “South Bronx.” “Life of the Party” appeared on his album “Donda,” released last November. West’s former label Universal Music Group is also named in the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims “Life of the Party” includes an “exact reproduction of horn hits, a drum part, and a melody from Boogie Down’s song.” The lawsuit also named a British defendant Kano Computing Ltd, because their music streaming device is where “Life of the Party” was also released, and it infringes on its copyrights.
Phase One requested an unspecified amount of damages and asked the court to block Ye’s sample use.
“This appears to be an ongoing practice of Mr. West, using other people’s music without paying for it,” Phase One’s attorney said. “Using music without permission violates the copyright law and hurts artists.”
A spokesperson for Kano said Tuesday that the company is investigating the claims and had been “assured repeatedly that Kanye and his company Yeezy Tech provides music with ‘all intellectual property rights, licenses, and consents.” “This was important to us because STEM is built from the ground up as a more fair and immersive alternative to the current music business,” the spokesperson said.
– Excerpt from an article for Reuters by Blake Brittain. Read the full article here.
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