Usher, Mark Wahlberg, Run D.M.C., and others are being sued for copyright infringement.
According to The Wrap, Twilight Records and Syl-Zel Music are suing a set of artists for their unauthorized sampling of the 1967 hit "Different Strokes" by Sylvester Thompson a.k.a. Syl Johnson.
the songs in question include Usher's "Call Me a Mack," Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and "Fear of a Black Planet," Mark and Donnie Wahlberg's (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch) "The Last Song on Side B," and Run D.M.C.'s "Naughty" and "Beats to the Rhyme."
A few music production companies, including Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, are also being sued.
The plaintiff's are seeking damages and profits, fees, costs, and punitive damages due to the defendents' use of the song.
They also seek a permanent restraint on the song, stopping artists from sampling it in the future.
In 2011, Johnson also brought up a lawsuit against rappers Jay Z and Kanye West for their unauthorized use of the sample on their album Watch the Throne. The lawsuit was later settled.
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