Will Ye End Up In Heaven Or US Court?

The leader of a church in Texas has sued Kanye West, officially known as ‘Ye’, for sampling a sermon in his new track, without permission. A sermon is a speech usually delivered at Sunday morning mass that is intended to teach a religious lesson.

Bishop David Paul Moten issued a copyright infringement claim for using parts of the sermon for a total of 70 seconds in his new track “Come to Life”, which comprises 20% of the five-minute song. The song opens up with the speech and snippets are played in the background throughout.

Moten’s claim, issued in the Dallas federal court, named Ye, his label Universal Music Group (UMG.AS), and its subsidiaries Def Jam Recordings and G.O.O.D. Music. He seeks damages from all parties, and criticised Ye and the music industry for “willfully and egregiously sampling sound recordings of others without consent or permission.”

If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 291 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com .