A federal decide has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit filed in opposition to the Rolling Stones over their 2020 single ‘Residing in a Ghost City,’ ruling that the plaintiffs would wish to file the case in a courtroom throughout the applicable jurisdiction.
A copyright infringement lawsuit filed in opposition to the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards has been dismissed by a federal decide, who dominated that the plaintiff filed the case within the incorrect courtroom.
Songwriter Sergio Garcia Fernandez filed the lawsuit in March, alleging that Jagger and Richards “misappropriated most of the recognizable and key protected parts” from his early-aughts songs beneath the stage title Angelslang, “So Sorry,” and “Seed of God,” within the Stones’ 2020 single, “Residing in a Ghost City.”
On Wednesday (October 18), federal decide Eldon E. Fallon dominated his Louisiana courtroom lacked jurisdiction over the case — as Jagger and Richards are British, whereas Fernandez lives in Spain. Decide Fallon tossed the case “with out prejudice,” so Fernandez and his authorized crew are free to file the lawsuit in one other jurisdiction; attorneys for the Rolling Stones instructed that someplace in Europe is likely to be a extra applicable location.
“The mere reality that individuals on this district hearken to the Rolling Stones or the alleged work doesn’t allow this courtroom to wield particular jurisdiction over the defendants,” wrote Decide Fallon.
A lawyer for Fernandez stated he’s disillusioned and stunned by the courtroom’s ruling, however he vowed to file the go well with in one other venue “along with reviewing different authorized choices.”
Fernandez’s lawsuit alleged that the Stones’ 2020 observe borrows key facets from two of his earlier songs, together with vocal melodies and chord progressions, with out authorization. Though Fernandez’s songs have lower than 1,000 streams on Spotify, the songwriter claims he gave a demo CD containing the songs to one in every of Jagger’s “quick relations.”
“Residing in a Ghost City” was the primary unique materials from the Stones since 2012, launched on the peak of the pandemic-related shutdowns in April 2020. The track reached No. 3 on the Billboard Sizzling Rock & Various Songs chart in Might 2020.