From today's Philadelphia Daily News
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/gossip/12998255.htm
Dan Gross | Ex-Ink & Dagger sues Microsoft
INK & DAGGER liked to dress up as vampires while playing live.
Now, the band's former drummer, Ryan McLaughlin, says it's computer giant Microsoft that is doing the bloodsucking.
McLaughlin, 28, of Bensalem, filed suit in federal court Monday, alleging copyright infringement. He claims Bill Gates' corporation used three songs from the band's 1998 CD "The Fine Art of Original Sin," on a snowboarding video game, "Amped," for Microsoft's XBOX system, without the band's consent.
Ink & Dagger was a popular local band in the mid/late '90s that played here often but also toured the world.
McLaughlin, who now works construction and isn't making music, says he "despises" video games and feels it "incredibly rude" of Microsoft not to ask permission from his band to use the tracks. "They had no legal right to do it," he says.
Neither McLaughlin nor his lawyer, Conor Corcoran, would tell us how much money they seek in damages, but other copyright lawyers tell us a seven-figure settlement would not be unreasonable.
Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans yesterday declined to comment until the company had more time to review the complaint.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)
The only time I got ripped off on ebay was for an INK AND DAGGER record.
[Cue jokes about me getting the record and it sucking = getting ripped off.]
― jdubz (ex machina), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)
The publisher was 2K Games based in NYC!
Why the fuck is this guy suing Microsoft? They didn't develop the game (as far as I can tell from the game credits)!
― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)
i'm pretty sure initial records got paid for the song, seeing as they held the copyright.
― michael crumsho (clikatowi), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 19:34 (twenty years ago)
that's my friend don's old band! don is in the icarus line now. he is the biggest rollerskate skinny fan in the world. ink & dagger coulda been huge.
― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 19:58 (twenty years ago)
doesnt don play in that new rollerskate skinny band called bloodfeathers? or is that someone from aspera ad astra? i forget, but then again, i kinda dont care.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)
donut, a lawsuit is the last thing i could possibly need in my life. that might give me the heart attack ive been building up to all these years.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)
( well, i did put the big "kidding" there... also, there's no reason to think I'd be flabbergasted at you for posting the article re: "look, im just the messenger. dont shoot!". Why would you think I would be attacking you? )
― iDonut B4 x86 (donut), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 21:35 (twenty years ago)