Daniel Boczarski, Redferns
AllHipHop reports that a songwriter named Max Gregory Warren, of Sharon Penn., filed a copyright lawsuit against Khalifa, his publishing company PGH Sound, EMI Music Publishing, Rostrum Records, Warner Music Group, Atlantic Recording Corporation and the song's producers, Stargate, on Dec. 30, 2011.
According to the suit, Warren claims the defendants "engaged in a scheme to defraud plaintiff out of the fruits of his copyright of the Subject song," and is suing for copyright infringement, civil conspiracy and unjust enrichment.
The copyright in question, referred to in the court documents as the "Subject song," is an alleged composition Warren penned in 2007, entitled 'Pink N Yellow,' which was registered with the Library of Congress copyright office in 2008.
Warren contends that his copyright was then infringed upon by 'Black and Yellow,' which was released in Sept., 2010, and the subsequent remixes, which generated millions of dollars in revenues. The suit goes on to call for an injunction to prohibit continued use of the copyrighted work, due credit on all printed materials pertaining to the song, reasonable counsel fees and costs, and relief as the court deems proper. According to AllHipHop, Warren is seeking a total of $2,375,000 in punitive and actual damages.
'Black and Yellow' peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, selling over 3 million digital copies since its release. The song was a reference to the colors Khalifa's native Pittsburgh, Penn., and its sports teams. We are not sure what 'Pink N Yellow' is in reference to, but we're hoping it's not this.
