9:05 AM PT — The Bristol County D.A.’s Office just said they plan to appeal the judge’s decision.Aaron Hernandez‘s conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd has officially been dismissed by a judge. More
Jay Z and Timbaland won big last fall during a copyright trial over “Big Pimpin,'” but their attorneys are on the offensive again, claiming an appeal of the decision is filled with illegitimate grievances and exacerbated by a reference to the KKK.
The legal battle began in 2007, when the heir of Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdy sued the duo, along with just about every individual and company associated with the 1999 song. The heir, Osama Fahmy, claimed “Big Pimpin'” infringed on his rights to Hamdy’s 1957 song “Khosara Khosara” by sampling it without permission.
Last fall, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder stopped the trial before the jury could deliberate, finding Fahmy didn’t have standing to pursue the claims because he had given up his rights in the work. In February, she entered her final judgment and dismissed the suit with prejudice.
Fahmy appealed the ruling in August. In a 64-page opening brief, attorney Keith Wesley argues that the district court erred in finding Fahmy lacked standing to sue.
Wesley says Fahmy licensed “Khosara Khosara” to another Egyptian man named Mohsen Jaber, but reserved the right to approve derivative works — albeit through Egyptian law instead of…
SiriusXM will pay Flo & Eddie, and the other pre-1972 song rights owners in their class, at least $25 million as part of a settlement reached earlier this month on the eve of a California federal trial.
Pre-1972 sound recordings aren’t protected by federal copyright. So two members of oldies band The Turtles, Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (Flo & Eddie), sued to be compensated for hits played on stations like SiriusXM Radio’s ’60s on 6.
The duo won summary judgment in 2014 when the court found Sirius’ use of their music violates public performance rights.
That $25 million is just the baseline, according to a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement filed Monday. Just how much that needle moves depends on what happens in the East Coast companion cases — and if Sirius appeals the court’s finding of liability in this case.
“In exchange for a contingent payment of an additional $5 million to the Settlement Class and a 2% increase in the royalty rate otherwise owed, the Settlement provides that Sirius XM preserves its right to appeal the Court’s final judgment of liability on the performance right issue and Commerce Clause issue in this Action, but Sirius XM has also agreed that it will not appeal…