Tinashe Sued By Music Producer, Accused Of Stealing Music
By Ryan Naumann on May 20, 2020 at 2:44 PM EDT
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Singer Tinashe has been hit with a federal lawsuit accusing her of ripping off an Australian music producer.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, an artist named William Kissas aka Will K is suing Tinashe (real name: Tinashe Kachingwe) and singer MakJ (real name: Mackenzie Johnson).
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of copyright infringement and fraudulent misrepresentation. The suit explains Will K is an Australian music producer and recording artist.
In February 2019, Will K says he was in contact with MakJ regarding, “putting together some musical tracks and recordings” for future recording sessions with Tinashe. He set over his “own original musical tracks and recordings” via DropBox.
The suit says they agreed if Tinashe used the track he would receive a production credit and compensation if “such musical tracks and recordings were used.”
Will J says Tinashe did use his work and turned it into her hit song “Save Room For Us.” He claims to have reached to MakJ who allegedly promised to “get it figured out.” However, he accuses the defendants of never delivering on these representations and releasing the song without giving him proper credit.
The suit claims, “The Infringing Song, due to the acts of Defendants, copies, reproduces, and duplicates key structural elements, themes, and motifs of the Original Work, which serve as the backbone of the Infringing Song’s structure and motif.”
Will K says neither Majk or Tinashe asked for permission to use his work. He says they have benefited financially from the commercial success of the track. He is asking the court to grant him an injunction prohibiting Tinashe from continuing to sell the track along with unspecified damages.
The suit is asking for the “Defendants be required to pay to the Plaintiff such actual damages as the Plaintiff may have sustained in consequence of Defendants’ infringement and all profits of Defendants
He is asking for all profits made by the defendants along with attorney fees.
