Thursday , March 28 2024

Bad Day for Dre

$1.5 million to the copyright holder of Fatback Band’s 1980 song “Backstrokin'” for bassline Dr. Dre copied for his 2001 track “Let’s Get High”:

    Los Angeles jury awarded London-based Minder Music Ltd. less than half of the $3.5 million originally sought after hearing testimony from the music publisher as well as Dr. Dre.

    U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall, however, has not yet signed the judgment.

    Howard King, Dre’s lawyer, believes the case will be thrown out because of inconsistencies within the jury’s findings.

    ….”This matter has been going on for three years and we should never have had to go to court; needless to say the cost was horrendous,” said Minder Music’s music director, John Fogarty, who testified in the trial. “However, it’s a great day for music publishing. The notion that someone can take someone else’s work and put their own name down as creator is outrageous.”

    The Fatback Band have been sampled or covered more than 80 times by acts ranging from Monica to Fatboy Slim to Everlast, according to Fogarty. [MTV]

The jury called Dre’s action “innocent infringement” but spanked him for the $15.M anyway.

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

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