The band filled a federal lawsuit claiming that both Pizza Hut and Home Depot did not have the proper permissions or licenses to use their songs in commercial ads promoting their products.
The song used by Pizza Hut is called “Gold On The Ceiling”
and Home Depot used “Lonely Boy”, both songs belonging to the hit album called
“El Camino” which sold over 840,000 albums during last year’s release.
Spokesmen for both Pizza Hut and Home Depot claim they yet
have to receive the claims, however, both companies respect intellectual property rights and take this matter seriously. The Black Keys are suing each
company for copyright infringement and are suing for statutory damages that may
equal up to $75,000 in damages for each company. In addition, the band is
asking the court to order both company’s to immediately stop the use of these
songs in their promotional ads.
This proves the importance of music publishers and our role
in the music industry. Part of our responsibility for our clients is to ensure
all parties requesting usage of our songs have the proper licenses and
additional authorizations to do so. If not, it is our duty to ensure that those
infringers are brought to justice for their inconsiderable acts.
Considering the approach both companies have made, I do feel
that this infringement was not intentional, especially for Pizza Hut since they
outsource their marketing efforts to The Martin Agency and The Interpublic
Group Of Companies. It is unclear if Home Depot outsources their marketing,
however, their concern and consideration for this matter has been acknowledge
with a quick response.To see Pizza Hut's promo video click below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6T7M1w88FU
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