Pandora has been accused of playing two of George Lopez's comedy albums without his permission, and now Lopez is seeking $5.5 million in damages from the streaming service.
George Lopez is Demanding $5.5 Million From Pandora for Streaming Two of His Albums
Pandora is facing an increasing number of lawsuits after being accused of streaming comedic works without the required authorization by actors like Lewis Black and Andrew Dice Clay. George Lopez has now entered the battle and is demanding $5.5 million from the streamer.
As reported by The Verge, Lopez sued Pandora on August 23, claiming it played two of his comedy albums without paying him or getting permission. According to the complaint, Pandora made the decision to infringe right away to guarantee that it had this very valuable intellectual property on its network. SiriusXM, Pandora's parent company, didn't immediately react.
Richard Busch, the counsel for the other claimants, contends on behalf of Lopez that his work is entitled to two copies rights: one for the recording and one for the literary work. Though uncommon for spoken-word compositions, this is typical for music. If these actions are successful, spoken word genres like comedy and podcasting may be given copyright protection.
Streamers are seeking shelter because of the fight. Spotify withdrew comedy albums by Tiffany Haddish and John Mulaney after conversations broke down. Pandora is forcing comedy performers to give up their publication rights since it broadcasts comedy without a license.
Because spoken word is less costly than music in terms of royalties, there is a complex situation as artists depend on the exposure from streaming to draw listeners. Comedians want to be settled legally and financially for their work, but the prospect of a settlement is low, and George Lopez's involvement raises the stakes.
Comedians and Performing Rights Organization Filed a Lawsuit Against Pandora Over Copyrights
In May, a number of well-known comedians and an associated performing rights organization sued Pandora over payments for their joke copyrights, accusing them of manipulating pricing and restricting competition (via Reuters). Sirius XM's Pandora Media Inc. wants to turn the tables on them.
In counterclaims submitted, Pandora claimed that WordCollections Inc. established a "cartel" with the estates of Robin Williams and George Carlin, as well as with actors Andrew Dice Clay, Bill Engvall, and Ron White, to monopolize comedian copyrights. If the comedians succeed, other streaming providers could quit offering comedy, claims a different Pandora petition.
They acknowledged on May 6 that they know the counterclaim and will respond appropriately, according to the comedians' attorney. A lawyer for Pandora said he was not allowed to remark since SiriusXM did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The comedians complained to Pandora in February, saying they hadn't received even cents for their content being played on the platform. The company's discussions with Word Collections over those rights were ended last year, and the jokes are not included in the jokes that the comedians' recordings are licensed to Pandora.
According to Pandora, paying record label owners millions of dollars to distribute comedians' music has always been lawful. Without a broad license from Word Collections, streaming platforms won't be permitted to provide comedy, the company claims. It has been argued that Word Collections combined the competing rights of comedians.
The ability to hold up other services, according to Pandora, has given Word Collections the ability to raise the price of funny recordings significantly.
