Legal trouble in the music world is around once again.
In a time where music has been around for a while and artists sample from each other, it is not uncommon to hear remixes that we have heard similarly before. Everyone once in a while though, two songs are too close for comfort-meaning a lawsuit for copyright infringement is born.
This time around, producer and DJ Arty is suing Marshmello. The lawsuit is over Marshmello allegedly stealing elements from Arty’s remix of “I Lived” by One Republic for his song “Happier” with Bastille. The lawsuit also names Steve Mac- the co-founder of Bastille- and Daniel Campbell Smith-both co-writers of the song.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in California and focuses on the remixed elements of the song. It alleges that the beats and other components that are in Arty’s remix of “I Lived” were copied. The suit alleges that because Arty and Marshmello are in the same EDM circles (they even have the same music publisher, Kobalt Music-who was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit), Marshmello could have been made aware of the song because of how frequently cross paths.
Arty is being represented by Richard Busch, a copyright attorney who is extremely well known for winning big cases, such as the Marvin Gaye vs. Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke over “Blurred Lines.” Busch states that there is a compelling musical transcription comparing the two works in the suit, and Arty is suing for damages and for an accounting of all revenue generated by “Happier” to see how much he is entitled too.
Take a listen below, and let us know your thoughts on their similarities.
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