Lady Gaga Ruling, Dionne Warwick Lawsuit, Lizzo Case & More Music Law

THE BIG STORY: Trademarks are important. They’re what protect consumers from confusing knockoffs in a messy marketplace by making clear the genuine source of a product. Imagine trying to buy something online if you had no idea whether it was really from the brand you wanted.

But it’s also really hard to sue over the use of a trademark in a movie or a song – and that’s important too. The First Amendment allows artists to express themselves freely, without fear of being dragged into court because they mentioned a brand name. Just ask Mattel how it went when they sued Aqua over their 1997 megahit “Barbie Girl.”

That legal dynamic was on full display this week in Los Angeles federal court, when Lady Gaga scored a key victory in a trademark infringement lawsuit over her chart-topping Mayhem album, filed by a surf company that sells a brand of Mayhem surfboards. To find out what happened, go read the full story.

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Other top stories this week…

RIGHTS ROW – Dionne Warwick is facing a new lawsuit claiming she’s turned her back on a rights management company that repped her for years on tricky matters, including the deal for the famed sample of her song “Walk on By” in Doja Cat‘s chart-topping hit “Paint the Town Red.”

LIZZO LITIGATION – Lizzo’s ex-backup dancers urged an appeals court to reject the star’s free speech arguments and let their sexual harassment lawsuit go to trial. But Lizzo herself also spoke out on the case, pointing out that the dancers had quietly dropped their incendiary “fat shaming” claim last month: “It never happened. Now the truth is finally out.”

UNDISCLOSED DEAL – A new lawsuit revealed for the first time that Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG) came close to buying Christian hip-hop label Reach Records this past summer, but allegedly backed out at the last minute over concerns about the price.

ASSAULT CHARGES – R&B singer Trey Songz was arrested in Manhattan on criminal charges over two separate alleged violent incidents within a one-week span, including punching a man in the face at a Times Square nightclub and destroying property at a hookah bar.

AI-ERA LIBEL LAW – Ray J doubled down on his claim that Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have engaged in RICO violations, a statement that got him sued for defamation. In a new filing, he says their family business empire is “a criminal enterprise akin to the mob” – and that ChatGPT assured him that was a valid thing to say.

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? A trial kicked off in London over whether Jimi Hendrix’s bandmates are entitled to royalties from the rock legend’s catalog, pitting Hendrix’s estate and Sony Music against the heirs of bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell.

COVER FLAP – Rod Wave was hit with a copyright lawsuit claiming he stole the photo featured on the cover of his 2024 album Last Lap from a Florida photographer who snapped it at a concert.

FAKE MERCH FIGHT – A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the estate of MF Doom seeking to hold Temu liable for selling counterfeit versions of the late hip-hop legend’s merchandise.