Juice WRLD made a big splash in the rap game in May of last year with the release of his debut album Goodbye & Good Riddance, but it seems like punk pop-band Yellowcard is not pleased. The album’s third track and second single, “Lucid Dreams,” allegedly infringes on Yellowcard’s “Holly Wood Died” song. End result: Yellowcard is suing Juice WRLD for $15 million
Monday, William Ryan Key, Peter Michael Mosely, Longineu Warren Parsons and Sean Michael Wellman-Mackin of the now-disbanded Yellowcard filed a complaint against Juice in a U.S. District Court in California, alleging Juice and his collaborators copied “melodic elements” from their “Holly Wood Died” song for the rapper’s 2018 single “Lucid Dreams” without permission. In addition to $15 million, the band members are asking for a “running royalty and/or ownership share” of Juice’s song or statutory damages “for each act of copyright infringement.” In addition, the plaintiffs claim they are owed damages from Juice WRLD’s concert tours and other public appearances as well because “Lucid Dreams” provided Juice opportunities to tour.
“Lucid Dreams” co-writer Taz Taylor, Taz Taylor Beats, Artist 101 Publishing Group and publishing administrator Kobalt Music Services, producer Nicholas Mira, Nick Mira Publishing, Electric Feel Music and publishing administrator Songs of Universal, BMG Rights Management, Grade A Productions; and Grade A’s parent company, Interscope Records, are all being sued.
“Defendants copied the Original Work without license or consent, and have exploited the subsequent Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording to their collective benefit without regard to Plaintiffs’ rights and to Plaintiffs’ detriment,” the complaint reads. “The Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording directly misappropriates quantitatively and qualitatively important portions of Plaintiffs’ Original Work in a manner that is easily recognizable to the ordinary observer.”
We’ll have more on this story as news develops.
