Sunday, May 20, 2012

George Clinton, Black Eyed Peas settle song suit

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2009 file photo, American singer, songwriter and music producer George Clinton performs with the funk, soul and rock music collective Parliament-Funkadelic on stage at the Avo Session in Basel, Switzerland. Clinton and the Black Eyed Peas have settled a lawsuit in which the funk pioneer accused the pop group of improperly sampling his music. (AP Photo/Keystone, Georgios Kefalas, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2009 file photo, American singer, songwriter and music producer George Clinton performs with the funk, soul and rock music collective Parliament-Funkadelic on stage at the Avo Session in Basel, Switzerland. Clinton and the Black Eyed Peas have settled a lawsuit in which the funk pioneer accused the pop group of improperly sampling his music. (AP Photo/Keystone, Georgios Kefalas, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 file photo, singer Fergie of the group Black Eyed Peas performs for the "Concert 4 NYC" at Central Park, Great Lawn in New York. George Clinton and the Black Eyed Peas have settled a federal lawsuit in which the funk pioneer claimed the pop group used his music without proper permission. The settlement announcement on May 14, 2012, came a few weeks before the two sides were to go to trial, but after a judge limited the amount of damages Clinton would have been eligible to receive. (AP Photo/Donald Traill, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 27, 2008 file photo, musician George Clinton arrives for a taping of the "Late Show with David Letterman," in New York. Clinton and the Black Eyed Peas have settled a federal lawsuit in which the funk pioneer claimed the pop group used his music without proper permission. The settlement announcement on May 14, 2012, came a few weeks before the two sides were to go to trial, but after a judge limited the amount of damages Clinton would have been eligible to receive. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)

(AP) ? George Clinton and the Black Eyed Peas have settled a lawsuit in which the funk pioneer accused the pop group of using his music without proper permission.

The settlement was reached after mediation and was reported to a federal judge on Monday, records show. The judge has canceled an upcoming trial as attorneys work to finalize settlement documents, and no further details were provided.

Clinton sued the Peas in December 2010, claiming the group used elements of his 1979 song "(Not Just) Knee Deep" in remixes of their international hit "Shut Up." The song first appeared on the group's 2003 album "Elephunk," and it released "Shut Up Remix" the same year. It also was used in another remix included on the deluxe edition of the Peas' 2009 release, "The E.N.D.," according to Clinton's lawsuit.

A judge limited the damages Clinton could recoup in a ruling earlier this month, stating the musician hadn't shown how much he lost or how much the Peas and Universal profited from using Clinton's music.

Calls to attorneys for Clinton, members of the Black Eyed Peas and Universal Music Group were not immediately returned.

The group and its label, Universal Music Group, claimed they licensed the music, but Clinton says he never granted permission. He claimed producers tried to license "(Not Just) Knee Deep" in 2009, but he refused. Clinton alleged his signature was forged on a release form later provided to his attorneys and that he has never been paid royalties on the remixes.

The musician previously obtained the rights to his music after suing his label in federal court.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP .

Associated Press

new mexico state kevin rose sessions march madness scores doonesbury padma lakshmi daughtry

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.