Rolling Stones' Copyright Holder Sues Derivative Rapper
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Dwayne Carter, known as "L'il Wayne" to the two or three fans he has, illegally used the Rolling Stones' hit, "Play With Fire," in a "vile ... sexist and offensive" knockoff called "Playing With Fire," ABKCO Music claims in Federal Court.
ABKCO, founded by music mogul Allen Klein, says it owns most of the Mick Jagger-Keith Richards catalogue. The offending ditty is found on "Tha Carter III" album.
ABKCO cites the opening lyrics of the Stones' song: "Well, you've got your diamonds and you've got your pretty clothes / And the chauffeur drives your car / You let everybody know / But don't play with me, cause you're playing with fire" and L'il Wayne's knockoff: "So you've got so many diamonds / You wear all the finest clothes / And your grill is shining / As you're driving down the streets of gold / But you can't blame me if I set this stage on fire."
ABKCO says it hired "noted musicologist" Anthony Ricigliano, who reported that "the similarity [in the music] is apparent to even a layperson's ear." Ricigliano wrote, in a letter attached to the lawsuit, "(M)ost assuredly, the composition Playing With Fire infringes the copyright of Play With Fire."
ABKCO demands disgorgement, an accounting, punitive damages, destruction of the masters and copies, and an injunction. It is represented by Michael Kramer.
Here are the defendants: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. pka Lil Wayne, Nicholas Mark Warwar pka StreetRunner, Jason Desrouleux, Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Group Recordings, Young Money Publishing, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Warner/Chappell Music, and EMI Music Publishing.
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Does a car or truck accident count as a work injury?
If an employee is injured in a car crash while on the job, they are eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. “On the job” injuries are not limited to accidents and injuries that happen inside the workplace, they may also include injuries suffered away from an employee’s place of work while performing a job-related task, such as making a delivery or traveling to a client meeting.
Regular commutes to and from work don’t usually count. If you get into an accident on your way in on a regular workday, it’s probably not considered a work injury for the purposes of workers’ compensation.
If you drive around as part of your job, an injury on the road or loading/unloading accident is likely a work injury. If you don’t typically drive around for work but are required to drive for the benefit of your employer, that would be a work injury in many cases.
If you are out of town for work, pretty much any driving would count as work related. For traveling employees, any accidents or injuries that happen on a work trip, even while not technically working, can be considered a work injury. The reason is because you wouldn’t be in that town in the first place, had you not been on a work trip.
Workers’ compensation claims for truck drivers, traveling employees and work-related injuries that occur away from the job site can be challenging and complex. At Krol, Bongiorno & Given, we understand that many families depend on the income of an injured worker, and we are proud of our record protecting the injured and disabled. We have handled well over 30,000 claims for injured workers throughout the state of Illinois.