The rapper has reacted to the allegation made by record label TufAmerica, saying that ownership cannot be placed on a single syllable.
- Sep 19, 2014
AceShowbiz - Jay-Z is being sued over a sample on his track "Run This Town". According to a lawsuit obtained by Tech Dirt, the rapper is stealing the word "oh" on the 2009 song featuring Rihanna and Kanye West from Eddie Bo's 1969 record called "Hook and Sling".
The lawsuit was filed by TufAmerica, a record label which in 2012 sued West for sampling the same song on his "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". The company is seeking damages and royalties.
Jay-Z's lawyers have responded to the allegations, saying that ownership cannot be placed on a single syllable. The rapper's legal team states, "First, it is black letter law that words and short phrases are simply not protectable under the Copyright Act. Thus, Plaintiff cannot state a claim based on the alleged infringement of a generic lyric such as, 'oh,' or the sound recording thereof, and Plaintiffs claims should be dismissed as a matter of law."
"Second, even if the word 'oh' or the minuscule portion of Plaintiffs Recording featuring the single word was somehow original enough to warrant copyright protection, the alleged copying here of a sound lasting a fraction of a second in Plaintiffs Works is de minimis and thus not actionable," they continue.
They additionally noted in their legal documents that TufAmerica lost a similar case to Beastie Boys last year.
