Media Coverage
Source: Legal NewsLine
Media Coverage
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Olivia Thomas
05.11.16
A California fan of Kanye West filed a class action lawsuit earlier this month in San Francisco’s U.S. District Court. The lawsuit claims West conned fans into buying Tidal subscriptions by telling them his new album, The Life of Pablo, would only be available on the music streaming service. The lawsuit also alleges Tidal was in danger of going out of business before West’s tweet led to a sharp increase in new memberships. Tidal was purchased by rapper and business mogul Jay-Z, and West is part owner.
Whatever the merits of the suit, the wealth of the named defendants could influence what settlement, if any, the parties might agree to, Intellectual Property partner Carolyn Toto told Legal NewsLine.
“One would hope that settlement of a case would be on the merits and not whether a party has ‘deep pockets,’ she said. “Practically speaking, most cases do settle. Whether the case settles and how early will depend on different factors. … As a new company, the executives would probably prefer focusing on expanding the business and not have the appetite to engage in a high-profile and protracted ongoing litigation.”
Toto and Intellectual Property partner Kimberly Buffington wrote about the Tidal suit on Pillsbury’s Social Media & Games Law Blog.
Read more of Toto’s interview on Legal NewsLine.