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A resolution has been reached for a song that was removed from Kanye West’s “Vultures 1” album. Per Rolling Stone, “Good (Don’t Die)” had been pulled from streaming platforms Spotify and Apple as it allegedly infringed on the rights of Donna Summer. Her estate claimed the song was created through a “blatant theft” of her single “I Feel Love” and had filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in February 2024. “In the face of this rejection, defendants arrogantly and unilaterally decided they would simply steal ‘I Feel Love’ and use it without permission,” the lawsuit said, according to Rolling Stone. The outlet also stated: “The filing accused the songwriters of re-recording ‘almost verbatim’ the most ‘memorable portions’ of Summer’s song, using the material as the hook for their own song, and releasing their infringing track ‘knowing they had tried and failed to secure legal permission.’” Furthermore, the official Donna Summer account had shared in its Instagram Story on Feb. 10 that...
A trademark has placed Pharrell Williams in legal drama. In April 2024, Pink, also known as Alecia Moore, sued Williams for trademarking “P.Inc” for his music-focused promotional marketing services, Rolling Stone reports. The pop singer’s lawyers are requesting for the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to not authorize his trademark as they claim that it resembles the “PINK” trademark, which court documents show she applied for in 1999 and registered in 2001. Pink’s lawyers also claim that Williams’ trademark has the potential to damage her business and create confusion for her fans as they both operate in the music industry. “[Williams’] P.INC Mark is similar to the PINK Marks in sight, sound, meaning and commercial impression,” the filing wrote, according to Rolling Stone. “[Williams’] and [Pink’s] goods and services are identical and/or closely related. … [Williams] is likely to market and promote its goods through the same channels of trade...
A new move made by a group of education officials in North Carolina has the power to do a state-wide sweep of programs committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at public universities. According to The News & Observer, the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors’ University Governance Committee has approved “a policy that repeals the university system’s existing policy and regulation on diversity and inclusion.” The move will reportedly disband laws in place requiring all 17 public campuses within the state of North Carolina to employ diversity officers as well as drive efforts toward a common goal of fulfilling diversity-related measures. A University of North Carolina System Board of Governors committee voted in favor of policy that would eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion jobs at NC public universities. There was no discussion. https://t.co/9xQvXJFFG8 — philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 18, 2024 Per the Raleigh, NC-based outlet, the committee held...
A TikTok rapper will be going against Sony Music Entertainment in court. According to Billboard, 20-year-old rapper Dantreal Clark-Rainbolt, more commonly known as Trefuego, had a viral hit on TikTok thanks to his release of “90mh.” The songs was featured in at least 155,000 videos on the platform. Additionally, it has been streamed a minimum of 100 million times on Spotify. The outlet also reported he has garnered significant earnings from the song’s popularity, with estimates reaching almost $700,000. However, it appears the rapper won’t be able to roll in the dough for much longer. He is now in troubled water for utilizing a copyright sample from Toshifumi Hinata’s 1986 song “Reflections,” according to Rolling Stone. “Trefuego brazenly sought to ride the coattails of Hinata’s creativity and popularity without regard to the United States copyright laws or the rights of plaintiffs,” Sony’s attorneys wrote per Billboard. “He used and copied plaintiffs’ work without so much as...
AfroTech 2019 is right around the corner, and we’re excited to see everyone there. However, we’re aware that sometimes as an employee, you may struggle with getting company-approval, especially if you’re in a non-engineering role. Here are some arguments for attending business conferences, even if you’re not an engineer. Recruitment There’s no denying it; Millennials are visual creatures. So, if a company plans to recruit the best and brightest young talent, it needs a strong visible presence. Putting a strong foot forward at conferences like AfroTech will entice people to explore career opportunities at your company. Human resources (HR), sales, legal, or any other non-engineering departments need to attract strong talent just as much as engineering teams. Staying Informed Companies often use industry conferences to announce their latest and greatest projects and, if you’re not there, you’ll find out after everyone else has. Sending delegations to industry events can help companies...