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In a complaint filed late Friday in U.S. District Court in
Manhattan, Gabor Presser said one-third of "New Slaves," which
appeared on the No. 1 album "Yeezus," is an unauthorized copy of
"Gyongyhaju Lany," a 1969 song he wrote when he was in the band
Omega.
Presser described his song, which roughly translates in English
as "Pearls in Her Hair," as "one of the most beloved pop songs
ever in Hungary and across Eastern Europe." He is seeking at
least $2.5 million in damages for copyright infringement.
Lawyers for West and co-defendant Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC,
a joint venture between Sony Corp and the estate of pop star
Michael Jackson, did not immediately respond on Monday to
requests for comment.
Presser said he had no inkling his song was being used until
West's lawyer emailed him soon after marketing began, indicating
that West "would like to work out a deal with you as soon as
possible" and giving him 24 hours to respond.
West's lawyers later sent Presser a $10,000 check and insisted
that he grant a license. But Presser never cashed the check, the
complaint said.
"Kanye West knowingly and intentionally misappropriated
plaintiff's composition," the complaint said. "After his theft
was discovered, defendants refused to deal fairly with
plaintiff."
It is common for well-known singers to be accused of stealing
song ideas from the original composers. For example, in another
prominent case, Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant and
guitarist Jimmy Page face a June 14 trial in Los Angeles over
whether they stole opening chords for their 1971 classic
"Stairway to Heaven" from a 1967 instrumental.
The case is Presser v West et al, U.S. District Court, Southern
District of New York, No. 16-03798.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Dan
Grebler)
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