Jamie Foxx Hit With $75 Million Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

[lee miran]

It could have been anyone at Sony. My brother's crew here in PA has opened small shows for Fat Joe and 50 cent (before he was multi-plat). Anyway they gave some demos to 50's manager (who also manages Lil Kim). Never heard anything from them again.

Awhile later they all got sick to their stomachs when 50's album came out and they heard P.I.M.P. One of the songs that they had on the demo had the line "I don't care what you heard about me...I'm a ... P.I.M.P"

Granted 50's people didn't lift the whole song, but took a line from one of their's and used it as the idea for his.

Also, my brother is the main producer for the crew and he found that one of the loops he created was lifted and looped on Lil Kim's album.

So this kind of stuff happens all the time and unless Jamie Foxx sang the same exact lyrics it may be a tough case for this guy. If the song's subject and theme are the same and similar, he has no case, because you can't copyright an idea.

 

[Pete Marriott]

Would that help? How can you prove that the video was recorded before they made their song?

Yeah if you make sure to do two things before you start making the music. #1. Hold up the newspaper of that day. #2. Turn on a financial news channel like Bloomberg television.

There's other things I've been doing too like keeping a dated log of my production process. But the most important thing you have to do mail out that music and the completed COPYWRITE form to the Library of Congress when you're done and make sure you put that video in safe places.

I've been doing this since for long time now. I think it's one of the smartest things I've done for myself. Protecting your art is not a time or money waster at all especially in the music industry.

 

[So Foolish]

Yeah if you make sure to do two things before you start making the music. #1. Hold up the newspaper of that day. #2. Turn on a financial news channel like Bloomberg television.

No offense but it would be pointless.

A) There's nothing to prove that newspaper was from that day

B) You could be playing a video of the news channel

Why not just copyright the music and send it off. The video thing wouldn't hold up in court at all.

 

[Ron hauser]

Yeah if you make sure to do two things before you start making the music. #1. Hold up the newspaper of that day. #2. Turn on a financial news channel like Bloomberg television.

There's other things I've been doing too like keeping a dated log of my production process. But the most important thing you have to do mail out that music and the completed COPYWRITE form to the Library of Congress when you're done and make sure you put that video in safe places.

I've been doing this since for long time now. I think it's one of the smartest things I've done for myself. Protecting your art is not a time or money waster at all especially in the music industry.

I could go to my basement, and find a newspaper from 1968 and hold it up. (Even though the newspaper existed before sperm existed in my fathers youthful nutsack)

I could also record the Bloomberg program on my TiVo DVR, and play it on my TV before I make my track.

Oh, nevermind, So Foolish pointed that out already.

But even still, copyright doesn't protect you completely....Jamie Foxx has MILLIONS OF DOLLARS...are you telling me you don't think he can persuade someone at the CopyRight department to "modify" a document for him?

Then in court, he can make it look like YOU jacked him, and counter sue you for defamation in character.

 

[Pete Marriott]

Ok if you guys say so.

 

[So Foolish]

Ok if you guys say so.

Ignore him, but anyway, your videos most likely aren't going to hold up in court if anyone ever steals your shyt.

 

[taar44]

Jamie Foxx has MILLIONS OF DOLLARS...are you telling me you don't think he can persuade someone at the CopyRight department to "modify" a document for him?

Then in court, he can make it look like YOU jacked him, and counter sue you for defamation in character.

I highly doubt this scenario. This is a federal gov agency we are talking about. Somehow i dont see Jamie risking a felony charge and possible jail term for this.............

 

[theonlybman]

Damn, wait a minutes you can copyright songs, but I better get up on that

 

[TechnikaL]

Moral of the story:


NEVER SEND OUT UNSOLICITED MATERIAL TO A RECORD LABEL (ESPECIALLY WRITTEN LYRICS).


That's just asking to get jacked, if they even listen to/read your **** at all.

 

[So Foolish]

LMAO. The guy wants $75 million and he hasn't even got a real lawyer GTFOH

"Wow...good thing dude had his stuff copyrighted for real."

Where does it say he has his stuff copyrighted? Dude's CRAZY

 

[crazytrini85]

LMAO. The guy wants $75 million and he hasn't even got a real lawyer GTFOH

"Wow...good thing dude had his stuff copyrighted for real."

Where does it say he has his stuff copyrighted? Dude's CRAZY

Look a bit closer, dimwits:

http://eurweb.com/story/eur27082.cfm

"*A Detroit man is claiming that Jamie Foxx’s song “Heaven,” which the Oscar winner debuted on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in December, is nothing but a reworked version of his song "One of God's Angels Is AWOL," which he wrote and copyrighted in 2003.

Why would he need a lawyer? All he has to do is bring his song, and if the jurors agree that it sounds similar to Foxx's rendition, all that needs to be compared is the dates of the copyrights.

 

[jgbs75]

http://eurweb.com/story/eur27082.cfm

"*A Detroit man is claiming that Jamie Foxx’s song “Heaven,” which the Oscar winner debuted on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in December, is nothing but a reworked version of his song "One of God's Angels Is AWOL," which he wrote and copyrighted in 2003.


Michael A. Johnson is suing Foxx in Eastern Michigan's U.S. District Court for $75 million – that’s $15 million apiece from defendants Foxx, J Records, Sony Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Face Production to cover damages, royalties that he has missed out on and the "mass exposure" he would have received if that song had been attributed to him.


Johnson first came across the tune when the rest of the world did – while watching “Oprah” – and soon recognized the lyrics from his own tune. Johnson also says he did a mass mailing of his song lyrics to record companies, including Sony, whose J Records label released Foxx's album, “Unpredictable.”


"The songs are so similar that, if my song was released today, people would think I copied Jamie's song," Johnson wrote in his complaint. "My songs were sent out in hopes of a contract, not to be changed and disguised as someone else's creation."


Explaining “Heaven” to Oprah’s audience last year, Foxx said: "The song is basically saying that there was an angel up in heaven who was this little girl angel and it was God's favorite angel. She would always look at the plight of this couple who weren't able to have a kid, so, one day when God was having a role call, she didn't answer. She had snuck off and blessed them with a child."

Johnson countered in his complaint: "Even if Mr. Foxx's song was inspired by his daughter, they are still my lyrics. Maybe Mr. Foxx thought or assumed, because my songs were sent out hand-written, that I was not professional enough to have had my songs copyrighted and took advantage of that."
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Wow...good thing dude had his stuff copyrighted for real. He wont get 75, but he'll prolly get at least 10. I hope Sony/J Records has to front most of the bill for stealing someones work.

Does anyone have a link to this dudes song? I won't say anything until I'm able to compare them.