Ultra looks to sue YouTube personality over copyright infringement of Kaskade songs
From recreating famed looks of Lady Gaga and Barbie to demonstrating a wide range of advice for women interested in makeup techniques, Michelle Phan has risen as a respected makeup artist and has now collected numerous achievements from her catalogue of YouTube videos, each of which garner millions of hits. Her extensive resume now claims contracts with Lancôme, advertising campaigns with commercial brands, her own beauty subscription service, and her most recent venture, the launch of Phan’s own makeup line with L’Oreal. Now, she faces a litigative challenge from Ultra Records and Ultra International Publishing that threatens to take away her earnings.
Under violation of copyright infringement, Ultra is now suing Michelle Phan for using many of the label’s songs throughout her videos without a proper license. The case was officially filed on Wednesday and continues to unfold, but Ultra is already hot on the heels of the self-established celebrity. Specifically, the label has noted her use of many of Kaskade‘s songs throughout her videos: “Last Chance” higlights her Golden Hour video, “Eyes” plays in the background of a scene of Catch My Heart, and “4 AM” appears in a video outlining nightlife looks.
From the case, Ultra seeks to receive an injunction to prevent Michelle Phan from using Ultra tracks in the future and receive compensation. As Reuters explains, this could mean “maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for each infringed work or unspecified damages to be determined.” Stay tuned for more news as the case continues to develop.
Kaskade, who has already openly expressed his distaste for his ex-label’s procedures, took to his Twitter to share his perspective and kindly offer his words of support to Michelle Phan.
@MichellePhan – you’re awesome. You’ve turned millions of ppl on to my music. Which, ironically, I cannot say for my label.
— Kaskade (@kaskade) July 18, 2014
Summary: I’m not suing @MichellePhan + @ultrarecords isn’t my lapdog. I can’t do much about the lawsuit except voice support for her.
— Kaskade (@kaskade) July 19, 2014
I find that @MichellePhan has great taste in music *ahem*, and knows secrets on how to make my eyes really POP. What’s not to like? — Kaskade (@kaskade) July 19, 2014
Via: Reuters
Categories: News