YouTube star sued for alleged copyright infringement

The Internet has made it easy for any person with access to a connection to create their own work and put it online. While this capability has opened the door to allow the average person to publish books, music and videos online, it has also created increased room for copyright infringement to occur.

YouTube is a website that is no stranger to copyright issues. When users upload videos that contain copyrighted content, they often have to be taken down. It is illegal to use copyrighted works without prior permission to do so, and a YouTube channel is no exception. 

It was reported recently that a popular YouTube star has been sued by a dance music record label for copyright infringement. According to a Reuters article, Michelle Phan, whose YouTube channel has over 6.6 million subscribers, is being sued by Ultra Records LLC and International Music Publishing LLC. It has been alleged that Phan used songs by Ultra artists without a license.

Phan is famous for making videos about makeup and used some of these songs in her videos. As Reuters details, Phan's YouTube stardom even led to her being featured in a Dr. Pepper ad campaign, and the creation of a book and makeup line. 

As we have explained previously on this blog, copyright infringement can mean using the work of another party and profiting off of it. When this happens, the consequences may result in costly fines. Businesses and artists should seek expert legal counsel before using another party's work to create something new, especially when the resulting work will be used for commercial purposes. 

Contact a Phoenix, AZ small business attorney to learn more about how intellectual property law affects your business. 

Categorised in: Intellectual Property Law

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