In a case filed, August 8, in a Manhattan federal court, All Surface Publishing Inc. claims that Pitbull’s song “I Feel Good,” featuring Anthony Watts and DJWS, allegedly incorporates copyrighted elements of “Samir’s Theme,” a musical work owned by the plaintiff and registered with the United States Copyright Office in July 2006. The song spent 27 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
According to documents obtained by World Music Views, the plaintiff, a New York corporation, alleges that the defendants—Universal Music Group (UMG), Mr. 305, Inc., and Paul Edward Blair—acted without permission or authorization in copying and distributing the copyrighted material, thereby infringing on the plaintiff’s rights. UMG, a Delaware corporation with principal headquarters in New York, is said own Mr. 305, Inc., a Florida corporation and label imprint owned by Pitbull. Paul Edward Blair, known professionally as DJ White Shadow, is an individual resident of Illinois.
The plaintiff claims that its principal, Aaron LaCanfora, transmitted a copy of “Samir’s Theme” to Blair in May 2011, to which Blair responded positively, indicating specific access to the musical work. In August 2021, UMG, through Mr. 305, distributed “I Feel Good,” which the plaintiff asserts incorporates copyrighted elements from “Samir’s Theme,” including similarities in melody, harmony, tempo, musical arrangement, and instrumentation. The plaintiff alleges that both works have similar tempos, melodic lines, rhythmic structures, and percussion tracks, making the infringement evident.
Furthermore, the plaintiff asserts that the defendants copied and distributed the musical work without license or permission, performed it publicly by digital audio transmission, and continued the infringing activities despite being notified of the alleged infringement in September 2021. The infringing work was also used in a commercial advertisement by Smirnoff in 2021, contributing to the harm suffered by the plaintiff.
As a result, the plaintiff seeks actual damages and disgorgement of all profits attributable to the infringement, statutory damages for each infringement, costs of litigation, reasonable attorney’s fees, pre-judgment interest, and injunctive relief to prevent further infringement. The plaintiff demands a jury trial to resolve the dispute and holds the defendants responsible for their willful violation of United States copyright laws.
The international recording artist has purchased the naming rights to Florida International University’s football stadium, as announced on Tuesday.
According to ESPN, the FIU board of trustees approved a five-year deal on Tuesday, renaming the current FIU Stadium to Pitbull Stadium. Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Christian Perez, will pay the school $1.2 million per year over the five years.
“For me, what it boils down to is, Miami is always known for being underdogs, no matter what we do and what level we take it to,” Pitbull said. “Being underdogs is what I always felt about FIU — fighting, clawing their way to just be seen, to be recognized whether it be from education, business, through sports. So when this idea came about, it came about just like a Miami-Dade County, 305 idea would come about — nobody would believe in it. All we had to do was, just like we say in Miami, take it to the house.”
Pitbull’s purchase makes FIU the first university to name a college athletics building after a musician.
“What we’re doing here is groundbreaking. We’re making history. This is history in the making,” Pitbull said. “You’re going to see that every other university is going to want to do the same thing. But the difference is, we don’t do this for propaganda, we do it from the heart. We do it because it’s meaningful. We do it because I’m from the crib. I’m 305. I’m from the bottom. This is my backyard.”
The deal includes an option for Pitbull to renew the agreement for an additional five years. According to FIU board documents, Pitbull will create an anthem for FIU, post about the school on social media 12 times a year, and appear at one athletics fundraising event per year throughout the agreement.
Pitbull will also get use of the stadium 10 days per year during the term of the deal, and his vodka company will be the preferred brand distributed in the stadium. Additionally, Pitbull will have two reserved suites for all home football games.
The stadium, which opened in 1995, has a seating capacity of 20,000, according to the FIU website. Athletic director Scott Carr noted that Pitbull will also be involved in FIU’s efforts in the name, image, and likeness space.
“This is a historic day for FIU athletics to uniquely partner with a world-renowned artist and amazing person who truly values relationships and his community,” Carr said. “Armando’s financial support is program-changing, but him providing a microphone to amplify FIU will be even more beneficial to growing our brand.”
FIU has been playing football since 2002 and joined the FBS in 2004. The team has played in five bowl games in school history but hasn’t had a winning season since 2018, coming off back-to-back 4-8 seasons under coach Mike MacIntyre.
The Panthers will host Central Michigan on September 7 for the first game in Pitbull Stadium.
