Musicians and writers in California and across the world work hard to create original works. Once they have done so, they typically want to ensure that their works are protected from copyright infringements. To do so, people must sometimes turn to litigation in order to protect their intellectual property.
In fact, two songwriters have recently filed a lawsuit as a result of a duet sung by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The plaintiffs claim that the song “The Rest of Our Life” blatantly copies a song written by them called “When I Found You.” The lawsuit asks for $5 million — or more — in damages in addition to an injunction.
Court papers claim that “The Rest of Our Life” copies the plaintiff’s song verbatim in some instances and includes copying of their original musical elements. The lawsuit names the McGraw-Hill song’s writers, including Ed Sheeran. The plaintiffs further claim that employees of Sony were aware of the similarities between the two songs and may have even provided Sheeran and other writers with “When I Found You.” The writers decided to take legal action after a fan posted on social media about similarities between the two.
Songwriters have a right to protect their original work when it’s unlawfully copied. On the other hand, others facing litigation must defend themselves of accusations of copyright infringement. In either instance, it is beneficial for those in California involved in such legal action to have someone with experience at their side to guide them through their cases.
Source: foxnews.com, “Tim McGraw and Faith Hill sued for copyright infringement,” Morgan M. Evans, Jan. 12, 2018
