Rapper Kanye West smiles during a meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss criminal justice reform at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, October 11, 2018. REUTERS / Kevin Lamarque / File Photo
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June 29 (Reuters) – Rapper, producer and entrepreneur Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, was tried on Wednesday for allegedly sampling a song by musician Marshall Jefferson without permission.
Ultra International Music Publishing LLC said that “Flowers” from West’s album “Donda 2” includes a sample of Jefferson’s 1986 dance song “Move Your Body,” which is repeated at least 22 times.
A West representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the West Universal Music Group (UMG.AS) label, which is not a party to the lawsuit.
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A lawyer for Ultra International, which owns the rights to Jefferson’s song, said the company has no comment and believes the lawsuit speaks for itself.
Jefferson is a pioneer of house music from his hometown of West Chicago. According to the case, West and his representatives admitted during conversations with Jefferson that “Flowers” took samples from “Move Your Body”, but did not take a license.
“The West stands up for the rights of artists with one hand, but is not ashamed to take away the rights of another artist with the other,” the lawsuit said.
West released “Donda 2” in February exclusively through its Stem Player, a handheld device that allows users to isolate and recombine parts of a song.
Kano Computing Ltd, a British company that developed Stem Player with West and is also mentioned in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit says “Flowers” refers to West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian, whose petition to end their marriage was approved in March.
Texas Pastor David Paul Motten sued West in May for allegedly trying one of his sermons without permission. Read more
West has already settled lawsuits for samples of a Hungarian singer from the 2013 song “New Slaves;” children’s prayer on the song “Ultralight Beam” from 2016; and a theatrical work for activist Marcus Garvey for “Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2),” a 2018 collaboration with rapper Kid Cuddy.
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Report from Blake Brittany in Washington, DC; Edited by Alessandra Rafferty and Chris Reese
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
Blake Britton
Thomson Reuters
Blake Brittain reports on intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Contact him at blake.brittain@thomsonreuters.com
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