Jay Z sued by TufAmerica over alleged copyright infringement

Jay Z is being sued for allegedly sampling Eddie Bo’s 1969 single Hook and Sling – Part 1 without permission. TufAmerica, the label representing Bo, claims that the sample appears in Jay Z‘s 2009 single Run This Town, which also featured Rihanna and co-producer Kanye West.

The track featured on Jay Z’s 11th album, The Blueprint 3, and was a No 1 single in the UK. TufAmerica, who have owned the rights to the track since 1996, are seeking proceeds from Run This Town, damages and a court order to halt “further distribution and exploitation” of the song.

Bo was a New Orleans pianist whose records incorporated jazz, blues, funk and soul. He died in 2009.

TufAmerica has a history of suing over copyright infringement, with claims filed against the Beastie Boys, Christina Aguilera and West. West also used a sample from Hook and Sling – Part 1 on his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, according to TufAmerica, who allege that his labels paid a licensing fee, but “failed and refused to enter into written license agreements that accounted for their multiple other uses of [the song].”

In the Beastie Boys case, the label claimed the band’s albums Licensed to Ill and Paul’s Boutique used a Trouble Funk sample without permission. The Beastie Boys denied the claim.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, names Jay Z, his label Roc-A-Fella Records and several other companies as defendants.

For the original report go to http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/08/jay-z-sued-tufamerica-copyright-eddie-bo