The SongSure Blog
We publish the docket.
Real music lawsuits, drawn from court records. Not hot takes, not gossip: the filings, the money, the ruling, and what it costs to be right. New stories weekly.
The Docket - Case No. 22
Two letters apart, thirty-one pages long
Outkast's trademark company sues rapper Ovrkast over a nearly identical name and an alleged deal to change it. He says he never signed anything.
The Docket - Case No. 21
37 days in a Czech prison for a stage push
A fan died after falling from the stage at a Lamb of God show in Prague. Two years later, singer Randy Blythe was arrested at the airport and tried for manslaughter. Acquitted, after 37 days in prison and $400,000 bail.
The Docket - Case No. 20
800 pounds, one bridge, and a very expensive afternoon
A tour bus driver empties the septic tank through a Chicago bridge. Nobody in the band was on the bus. The bill topped $300,000.
The Docket - Case No. 19
One title, two songs, twenty-five years
Michael Bolton swears he never heard the Isley Brothers' obscure 1966 single, but a jury concludes his memory did the hearing for him, and the verdict costs $5.4 million.
The Docket - Case No. 18
One melody, two writers, six years
A Chicago songwriter wins a jury verdict against the Bee Gees, then loses it to a judge's pen: striking similarity may permit an inference of access, but only with some minimum threshold of proof that the inference is reasonable.
The Docket - Case No. 17
Thirty paintings, twenty-five transformed, one settlement
A photographer won everything at summary judgment, then watched an appeals court redraw the fair-use line underneath him, and the five paintings left standing were settled.
The Docket - Case No. 16
Twenty-four songs, three verdicts, nearly seven years
Described by some secondary sources as the first RIAA file-sharing case to reach a jury, it became a nearly seven-year marathon of three trials, two verdicts north of $1 million, and an appeals fight that landed exactly back where it started.
The Docket - Case No. 15
One screenplay, two generations, three years back
Eighteen years after renewing her father's screenplay, Paula Petrella sued MGM, and the Supreme Court ruled the only clock that mattered ran three years back.
The Docket - Case No. 14
Two songs, two owners, eleven years
Sued for plagiarizing himself, John Fogerty won the copyright fight and then won the fight over who pays for it.
The Docket - Case No. 13
Permission denied, parody defended, fair use defined
2 Live Crew asked to license a Roy Orbison classic for a parody, were refused, released it anyway, and took the fight to the Supreme Court.
The Docket - Case No. 12
Two seconds, one license, zero excuses
A two-second Funkadelic guitar sample, looped in an N.W.A track, made the Sixth Circuit declare that sound recordings have no de minimis defense: license the sample or face a trial.
The Docket - Case No. 11
Three notes, six seconds, four years
The Beastie Boys licensed the sample, won the case, and got four years of federal litigation anyway.
The Docket - Case No. 10
Three words, ten defendants, "Thou shalt not steal."
Biz Markie asked for a license to use Gilbert O'Sullivan's song, then released the record without one. The papers are worse than the legend.
The Docket - Case No. 9
Six words, no verdict, five years
The "Shake It Off" copyright case ran about five years, through an appeal and a summary judgment fight, and ended in a stipulated dismissal with prejudice. No court awarded a dime.
The Docket - Case No. 8
Eleven claims, no award: Mattel v. "Barbie Girl"
Mattel sued a Danish pop song over a plastic doll. The song won. The meter ran anyway.
The Docket - Case No. 7
One piano arrangement, $14 million, eighty years of royalties
Warner/Chappell collected decades of fees for the world's most famous birthday song. The words were never theirs.
The Docket - Case No. 6
Several hundred CDs, one Facebook friend, fifteen months
Dua Lipa's "Levitating" got sued by a Florida reggae band. The band could not plead facts plausibly showing she ever heard their song.
The Docket - Case No. 5
Three notes, $1,599,987, twenty years
George Harrison never meant to copy a thing. The court believed him. He lost anyway.
The Docket - Case No. 4
Two lawsuits, four chords, and a nine-figure demand
Ed Sheeran beat two "Thinking Out Loud" lawsuits — one before a jury, one on summary judgment.
The Docket - Case No. 3
One page, $12 million, six years
Led Zeppelin won the "Stairway to Heaven" lawsuit. The victory came with a $613,471 legal bill that no court would make anyone else pay.
The Docket - Case No. 2
Seven days, $7.4 million, five years
Pharrell Williams sued first. The Gaye family won anyway, and 50% of the songwriter and publishing revenue went with them.
The Docket - Case No. 1
Eight notes, $2.8 million, eight years
Katy Perry beat the "Dark Horse" lawsuit. Winning still took eight years.
Every story on this page is built from publicly available court records or verified press reports of court filings: opinions, orders, verdict forms, and dockets. We link the documents. If a fact is not in the papers, it is not in the article. This blog is educational only. It is not legal advice, not insurance advice, and not an offer or promise of coverage.