Juice WRLD Is Being Sued for $15 Million USD
Yellowcard claims that “Lucid Dreams” copied parts of “Holly Wood Died.”
As Billboard reports, the former members of the now-dissolved rock band Yellowcard are suing Juice WRLD, claiming that his 2018 Goodbye & Good Riddance hit-single “Lucid Dreams” infringes on the copyright established for their 2006 record “Holly Wood Died.” Specifically, Yelllowcard’s four former members are alleging that Juice WRLD and his “Lucid Dreams” collaborators Taz Taylor and Nicholas Mira “copied melodic elements” from “Holly Wood Died” without permission. Altogether, the aforementioned musicians are seeking “in excess of $15 million USD” and a “running royalty and/or ownership share” on future uses of the track or “statutory” compensation “for each act of copyright infringement.” They are also looking to bar Juice WRLD and his team from “exploiting” the single in the future. As a result of the “overwhelming success” of “Lucid Dreams,” Yellowcard’s ex-members also believe they are “owed damages” from Juice WRLD”s tours and other public showcases.
“This was not a lawsuit the guys wanted to file,” Yellowcard’s attorney Richard Busch tells Billboard in an official statement. “They put all of the parties on notice a long while ago and gave them every opportunity to try to resolve it. That notice was pretty much ignored leaving them with no real choice. As alleged in the Complaint, this is not just a generic Emo Rap song, but is a blatant copy of significant original compositional elements of Holly Wood Died in several respects. Beyond that, everything we have to say is in the Complaint.”
According to the original complaint, the “defendants copied the Original Work without license or consent, and have exploited the subsequent Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording to their collective benefit without regard to Plaintiffs’ rights and to Plaintiffs’ detriment. The Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording directly misappropriates quantitatively and qualitatively important portions of Plaintiffs’ Original Work in a manner that is easily recognizable to the ordinary observer. The Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording are not only substantially similar to the Original Work, but in some places virtually identical.”
We’ll keep you updated as this story and lawsuit develop. Head on over to Billboard’s official website to read the original report in its entirety.
In other music news, Little Dragon shares playful new single “Tongue Kissing.“
