NEW YORK (Reuters) - A musical publishing company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones' song "Play With Fire" sued U.S. rapper Lil Wayne on Thursday, saying he released an altered version of the song without permission.

Abkco Music Inc accused Lil Wayne, his artistic collaborators and his record company, a unit of Universal Music Group, of copyright infringement and unfair competition.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan seeks unspecified damages.

Lil Wayne's "Playing with Fire" is a clear derivative of the Rolling Stones song with the original lyrics and music altered in a recognizable way, Abkco said in its lawsuit.

In one example, the lawsuit said a lyric from the Stones song is "But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire," and the Lil Wayne version has the line, "But you can't blame me if I set this stage on fire."

Representatives for Lil Wayne and Universal, owned by the French company Vivendi, were not immediately available for comment.

Abkco also said that Lil Wayne's version uses "explicit, sexist and offensive language" and could lead the public to believe the company and the Rolling Stones approved of and authorized the new version.

Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, was proclaimed rapper of the year in 2007 by The New Yorker magazine.

[uk.reuters.com]



Lil Wayne sued for using Rolling Stones track

Rapper is accused of copyright infringement


Lil Wayne has been sued for allegedly releasing an altered version of a Rolling Stones song without proper permission.

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan today (July 24), musical publishing company Abkco Music Inc accused the rapper, his artistic collaborators and his record company -- a unit of Universal Music Group -- of copyright infringement and unfair competition.

The company alleges that Lil Wayne's 'Playing With Fire' was obviously derived from The Rolling Stones' song 'Play With Fire', reports the Associated Press.

The company also claims in the lawsuit that Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, uses "explicit, sexist and offensive language" that could lead the public to believe that The Rolling Stones approved of the rapper's version.

[www.nme.com]

In this case, I hope ABKCO gets it's way.

Well if The Stones had been sued every time they ripped off some old bluesman,including taking credits for songs that they never wrote,"You gotta move","Love in Vain"and so on..
I personally don't give a rat's ass about Lil Wayne ,but whats the difference?..

"No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock"

Didnt know they took credits for Ya Gotta Move or Love In Vain??
Have to reveal my ignorance.

They never took credit for those two songs yet alone ANY other blues song they ever covered. It might say it was re-arranged by said Stones but that is not taking credit for WRITING the song.

Nah you're not ignorant Baboon Bro. Those songs are credited to the proper people- at least on Keno's website. Didn't have time to check the actual albums but I assume it is the same. It's just that silly Ropeni going out of his way to throw a dig at The Stones. When will that guy dummy up lol.

"Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat. Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get. No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.

Sounds like Lil Wayne played with Fire

and by the way...anybody that goes by Lil should be sued like crazy.
What the hell is wrong with him.

On "Bridges to Babylon" the song "anybody seen my baby "was fully credited to Mick And Keith,then they had to change it..
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song also carries writing credits for k.d. lang and Ben Mink. The song is known for its chorus, which sounds strikingly similar to lang's 1992 hit song "Constant Craving". Though claiming to have never heard the song before, Jagger and Richards ended up giving lang credit, along with her co-writer Mink, for the song in order to avoid any possible lawsuits. Afterwards, lang said she was "completely honored and flattered" by receiving the songwriting credit".

My point is that The Stones have done have done their share of "borrowing" thru the years..Thats all..

"No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock"

That's odd. In the copy of the record Bridges To Babylon that I have the full songwriting credit of k.d. lang and Ben Mink is in it.

Wikipedia? Come on. I bought my copy the day it came out. If you don't recall, that story about Anybody Seen My Baby was Keith's daughter was humming Constant Craving and Keith started to wonder. So they covered their asses. I don't recall Mick ever saying he 'borrowed' from that tune, it just sounds very similar to it. So to avoid any trouble they just did the honourable thing.

Well Ropeni of course every artist borrows from time to time and there are also thieves. I won't name them but they are some of the big shots in music history.

However the above explanation from Mick and Keith seems plausible. Maybe the song was stuck in one of their subconscious minds. I find it hard to believe they would intentionally "borrow" something from K.D. Lang. The day The Stones need to intentionally borrow from K.D. Lang to make a song work is the day I become lead singer of The Rolling Stones.

Ha ha! Right on Frank!

About "Love in Vain" this is what the Stones did they credited the song to someone named "Woody Payne" so as not to pay royalties..
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Single by Robert Johnson
Released 1937
Recorded June 20, 1937
Genre Blues
Length ~ 2:50
Producer ???
Robert Johnson singles chronology
"Love in Vain" "Honeymonn Blues"

"Love in Vain" is a 1937 blues song written by Robert Johnson, and can be found on a number of compilation albums of Johnson's work (most notably on the vinyl album King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2, that, along with Vol. 1, introduced Johnson to many later musicians); and on its original (and extremely rare) 78rpm single release (Vocalion 04630).

It has since been covered by many other musicians, most famously by The Rolling Stones on their 1969 album, Let It Bleed. (Although, in the album credits on the original vinyl LP label, the song is wrongly listed as written by a mysterious - and probably fictitious - "Woody Payne", not Robert Johnson.)

Can anybody believe that Mick and specially Keith did not know who wrote that song? ..

"No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock"

Allen Klein can.

This has nothing to do with the stones and everything to do with greedy ABKCO.

Quote
ROPENI
About "Love in Vain" this is what the Stones did they credited the song to someone named "Woody Payne" so as not to pay royalties..
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Single by Robert Johnson
Released 1937
Recorded June 20, 1937
Genre Blues
Length ~ 2:50
Producer ???
Robert Johnson singles chronology
"Love in Vain" "Honeymonn Blues"

"Love in Vain" is a 1937 blues song written by Robert Johnson, and can be found on a number of compilation albums of Johnson's work (most notably on the vinyl album King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2, that, along with Vol. 1, introduced Johnson to many later musicians); and on its original (and extremely rare) 78rpm single release (Vocalion 04630).

It has since been covered by many other musicians, most famously by The Rolling Stones on their 1969 album, Let It Bleed. (Although, in the album credits on the original vinyl LP label, the song is wrongly listed as written by a mysterious - and probably fictitious - "Woody Payne", not Robert Johnson.)

Can anybody believe that Mick and specially Keith did not know who wrote that song? ..

Woody Payne is Satan. Payback time for Johnson...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-25 11:36 by Britney.

Quote
ROPENI
About "Love in Vain" this is what the Stones did they credited the song to someone named "Woody Payne" so as not to pay royalties..
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Single by Robert Johnson
Released 1937
Recorded June 20, 1937
Genre Blues
Length ~ 2:50
Producer ???
Robert Johnson singles chronology
"Love in Vain" "Honeymonn Blues"

"Love in Vain" is a 1937 blues song written by Robert Johnson, and can be found on a number of compilation albums of Johnson's work (most notably on the vinyl album King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2, that, along with Vol. 1, introduced Johnson to many later musicians); and on its original (and extremely rare) 78rpm single release (Vocalion 04630).

It has since been covered by many other musicians, most famously by The Rolling Stones on their 1969 album, Let It Bleed. (Although, in the album credits on the original vinyl LP label, the song is wrongly listed as written by a mysterious - and probably fictitious - "Woody Payne", not Robert Johnson.)

Can anybody believe that Mick and specially Keith did not know who wrote that song? ..

Other songs credited to Woody Payne are Come On In My Kitchen and Sweet Home Chicago - recorded by Steve Miller and The Blues Brothers respectively.

I suppose Mick and Keith are responsible for this too....

Woody Payne is also sometimes credited as T. Colley.

ABKCO sue but not Mick and Keith in persons. However they are the writers and only them could be opposed to a lyrics modification, no ?
ABKCO is certainly not interested in the artistic violation aspect of the thing but only by £££$$$ loss (if the song is modified, does it modify in the US copyright law the royalties ?)

Stones shocked by "explicit, sexist and offensive language" !

Whatever next?

The biggest rip off Jagger/Richards did, was stealing the hookline
from "The Last Time" from The Staple Singers' "Maybe The Last Time".
But this is abkco sueing here, not Jagger/Richards or the Stones camp.

N

Quote
Green Lady
Stones shocked by "explicit, sexist and offensive language" !

Whatever next?

Not stones, abkco

Quote
ROPENI
Well if The Stones had been sued every time they ripped off some old bluesman,including taking credits for songs that they never wrote,"You gotta move","Love in Vain"and so on..
I personally don't give a rat's ass about Lil Wayne ,but whats the difference?..

You gotta move ? that was never credited to Jagger/Richards

Lil whatshisname should be sued for putting out this awfull piece of rap-crap and anything else,
but not for copyright infringement.




...and Allen Klein should have been the boy they named sue.

ABCKO suing Universal?
I thought they distributed ABCKO's product?

Quote
NeddieFlanders
The biggest rip off Jagger/Richards did, was stealing the hookline
from "The Last Time" from The Staple Singers' "Maybe The Last Time".
But this is abkco sueing here, not Jagger/Richards or the Stones camp.

N

...and then ABKCO have the unmitigated gall to claim joint copyright of the Verve's Bittersweet Symphony because they sampled a few seconds of Andrew Loog Oldham's orchestral version of "The Last Time".

Pot...Kettle.

Woody Payne is the man who supposedly ripped Johnson of and claimed the copyright to those songs. Legally, the Stones were right to credit the songs to W. Payne. In the US T. Colley claimed the copyright. Strange case, worth further investigations - which I will do. Gimme a few days.

Quote
Ket

Quote
ROPENI
Well if The Stones had been sued every time they ripped off some old bluesman,including taking credits for songs that they never wrote,"You gotta move","Love in Vain"and so on..
I personally don't give a rat's ass about Lil Wayne ,but whats the difference?..

You gotta move ? that was never credited to Jagger/Richards

I stand corrected on this one...

>> stealing the hookline ... from The Staple Singers' "Maybe The Last Time" <<

the Staples Singers didn't compose that number. it's listed as "traditional" on their recordings.

Ooooh what terrible music!!

Be careful what you call it there King Snake! For it is NOT music! Lil' Wayne I'm speaking of.

Sounds like Lil Wayne is in a Lil trouble. Pity.