Celebrities recently charged with copyright infringement

Here are some recent stories in the news involving celebrities who have been charged with copyright infringement.

Bad News for fans of Fergie from the poplular group The Black Eyed Peas, she is being sued for copyright infringement. A reggae group called Groundation claims that they wrote a song on her solo album entitled "The Dutchess". The only problem is they weren't given any credit or any royalty checks. Groundation's record company Grounded Music claimed in their complaint that Fergie's song "Voodoo Doll" is "substanially and strikingly similar" to a song they recorded in 2000 named "Each One Teach One". If Groundation wins their case then Fergie may be forced to pay them royalties based on the sales of her album.

You can find mention of the case here in the San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/dailydish/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=47931 among other places.

Ellen Degeneres is in trouble too. In the popular opening segment of her talkshow she dances to chart topping hits as she moves through her studio audience on the way to her desk. The only problem is her show does not obtain the permission to use this copyrighted music. A television show must obtain a license to use a piece of copyrighted music in its broadcast and apparently the Ellen people skipped this step. Now her show is being sued by a coalition of record companies including Sony and Warner Brothers who are seeking damages. My favorite part of this story is that when the record companies asked why they had not followed the proper channels and obtained licenses Ellen's people said they "did not roll that way" You can find the Ellen copyright story here http://allieiswired.com/archives/2009/09/ellen-degeneres-sued-for-copyright-infringement/

Jessica Seinfeld the wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was recently vindicated after a copyright lawsuit filed against her was dismissed this week. Mrs Seinfeld was being sued by Missy Chase Lapine who claimed she had stolen her idea about a cookbook which would suggest devious ways to "sneak" healthy foods into appealing meals for children. Ms. Lapine claimed she had pitched her book to Mrs. Seinfeld's publisher Harper Collins twice and been rejected. The publisher later published a very similar book authored by Mrs. Seinfeld. The judge in this case decided that two books were distinct from each other and that no copyrights were violated. Ms. Lapine is now suing Jerry Seinfeld for defamation because he made fun of her on "The Late Show with David Letterman" Read all about it here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/business/media/11seinfeld.html?_r=2&ref=business