Prince's estate is suing Jay-Z for illegally streaming the late singer's music.
Prince's record labels NPG Records Inc. And NPG Music file a federal lawsuit alleging copyright infringement against Jay-Z's Roc Nation and its streaming service Tidal, reported Ace Showbiz.
According to the suit filed on Tuesday, Roc Nation has overstepped an agreement Prince signed with Tidal before his death. The agreement allowed Tidal to stream and sell "the next newly recorded studio LP ["HITNRUN (Phase One)"] by the recording artist known as Prince."
Also Read
Tidal owned exclusive rights to the material for 90 days since the agreement were signed on August 1, 2015.
The suit stated that Roc Nation, through Tidal, beginning from June 7, 2016, "exploiting many copyrighted Prince works in addition to the works that comprise the 'HitNRun: Phase 1' album."
Things only got worse when Jay-Z's company filed documents in Carver County District Court in November, asserting it had "both oral and written" agreements to exclusively stream Prince's entire catalog of music on Tidal, but it did not provide any documents to support that claim, according to the complaint.
Roc Nation continues "to reproduce, distribute and publicly perform" Prince's music.
Prince's record labels demand that Roc Nation/Tidal stop streaming and selling the late singer's music other than "HITNRUN (Phase One)". They are seeking unspecified damages.
A representative for Jay-Z and Roc Nation has not responded to a request for comment.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content