The Weeknd sued for using sample on hit The Hills without consent... as Twitter may play a pivotal role on the case
The Weeknd has been sued over a sample used in his smash hit The Hills.
The 25-year-old singer - real name Abel Tesfaye - has had a copyright infringement lawsuit by a UK-based film financier.
The court documents state that the track by the boyfriend of model Bella Hadid allegedly illicitly sampled a score from 2013 indie film The Machine, according to a Wednesday report from The Hollywood Reporter.
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Rough ride: The Weeknd - real name Abel Tesfaye - has had a copyright infringement lawsuit by a UK-based film financier according to a Wednesday report from The Hollywood Reporter
One of the more interesting things to emerge in the report is key evidence via an alleged Twitter direct message sent by producer and co-defendant Emmanuel 'Mano' Nickerson to Tom Raybould who had scored the film.
According to the complaint: 'On or about March 9, 2015, Defendant MANO sent Raybould a Twitter direct message stating 'I sampled your music might make it 2 the weeknd next album. Huge fan of what u did 4 the machine movie!'
The documents were filed in California on Wednesday by Cutting Edge Music Limited as they are suing The Weeknd and his producers in addition to powerful music companies Universal, Warner Chappell, Sony/ATV among others according to the weekly.
Claims: The complaint alleges that the 25-year--old singer and his producers allegedly illicitly sampled a score from 2013 indie film The Machine
The court papers also include claims of alleged substantial similarity as it reads: 'Both the Infringing Song and the Track featuring synthesizer bass-lines performed with almost identical idiosyncratic sounds at the same register and using the same pitch sequence, melodic phase structure and rhythmic durations.'
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plaintiffs in the case, who are represented by Thomas Brackey at Freund & Brackey, acknowledge themselves as a company who back films financially and obtains interest in sound recordings as well as compositions for film scores.
The film, The Machine, was a sci-fi thriller centred around scientists who exceed their goal of creating an actual conscious cyborg while trying to construct perfect android killing machines.
Inspiration: The 2013 film was a sci-fi thriller centred around scientists who exceed their goal of creating an actual conscious cyborg while trying to construct perfect android killing machines
The hit song, released in May, has been a hit reaching No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts several times over in the US. It has also hit platinum five times.
It is also a worldwide hit as it made the top 10 in The UK, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand along with being in the top 20 in Sweden and Denmark.
Regardless of the controversy, The Weeknd's star is soaring as it was announced earlier this week that he received seven nominations for his work on album Beauty Behind The Madness.
Still soaring: The boyfriend of model Bella Hadid is still achieving major success at it was announced earlier this week that he received seven nominations for his work on album Beauty Behind The Madness
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