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Lil Wayne Sued For Playing With Fire
Lil Wayne was hit by a lawsuit yesterday (7/24), filed by a music publishing company that owns the rights to The Rolling Stones ' song "Play With Fire." Abkco Music Inc. claims the rapper released an altered version of the song without permission, according to Reuters.
In the suit, which was filed in federal court in Manhattan, Abkco says Lil Wayne's song "Playing With Fire" is a clear derivative of The Rolling Stones' song with the original lyrics and music altered in a recognizable way. As an example, the suit says the Stones' lyrics "But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire," was changed by Lil Wayne to "But you can't blame me if I set this stage on fire."
The music publisher also said Lil Wayne's version uses "explicit, sexist and offensive language" and could lead the public to believe the Rolling Stones approved of and authorized the new version.
Lil Wayne, his artistic collaborators and his record company, a unit of Universal Music Group, all were named in the suit, which is seeking unspecified damages for copyright infringement and unfair competition.
