Home Depot and Pizza Hut accused of infringing upon Black Keys’ songs

As previously reported by this blog, intellectual property is an important element to consider for any company attempting to avoid getting itself into legal hot water. Along with computer programs or other products implicated in patent infringement, songs can also be considered under copyright infringement lawsuits. Arizona firms in such situations may need to speak with a Phoenix business lawyer.

The popular band Black Keys filed lawsuits against Home Depot and Pizza Hut, accusing these businesses of infringing on a copyright by using its songs "Lonely Boy" and  "Gold on the Ceiling" in recent advertisements, according to the Associated Press.

The songs are available on the group's latest album, "El Camino," which has sold close to 840,000 copies. The band's producer Brian Burton is also suing the two companies of infringing upon the songs.

The plaintiffs seek $75,000 in damages individually. Also, the lawsuit demands that the companies stop using the songs in commercials. Stephen Holmes, a Home Depot spokesperson, did cite that the company understands the importance of intellectual property rights. Pizza Hut spokesman Christopher Fuller also agreed with Holmes on the rights of the musicians to full song ownership.

"The suits claim both companies were given written notices that the ads misused The Black Keys' music," the news source stated. "The Home Depot ad touts Ryobi power tools, while the Pizza Hut ad touts its new 'Cheesy Bites Pizza.' Neither company received permission to use musical elements from the songs."

Other organizations that have been accused of misusing products and infringing upon intellectual property rights – or which need to protect or have an attorney review their intellectual property protection – may need to speak to a business law attorney in Phoenix.

Categorised in: Uncategorized

This post was written by