After the appearance of a Russian track with an identical melody, the artist’s team began to take action
The scandal surrounding the plagiarism of the hit DREVO “Enkarapista” has continued. Following appeals from the artist’s team, the track by Russian performer R. Riccardo “Potantsuy so mnoy” was blocked on international digital platforms.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the artist’s press service.
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How the scandal began
The track by Russian performer R. Riccardo titled “Potantsuy so mnoy,” according to the artist’s team, repeated the melody of the hit “Enkarapista” from the first to the last note.
According to representatives of the Sound United label, they learned about the possible violation from social media.
Initially, the DREVO team began to come across TikTok videos in which the Russian artist used this musical idea.
“At first, we and the listeners of Drevo started coming across TikTok videos from this Russian artist. We didn’t like it, but TikTok is a space where users express themselves as they can and want, using popular and trending content. And this once again confirmed that Ukrainian music knows no borders, but does have quality,” Sound United commented.
R.Riccardo (photo: instagram.com/roman_riccardo)
However, the situation, according to the artist’s team, shifted to another level after the track was officially released.
The label stated that after the release of the song “Potantsuy so mnoy,” the discussion was no longer about user-generated content on social media, but about a possible copyright infringement. It was after this that the team began to take action.
As noted, the track by the Russian performer was blocked on international digital platforms.
Why this case was difficult to prove
DREVO producer Mikhail Shiyan explained that this story involves not only neighboring rights but primarily copyright on the melody itself.
“Neighboring rights cover the right to use the phonogram, that is, the recording of the performance of a musical work. Violations of these rights on digital platforms in the modern world are quite easy to defend – digital recognition and blocking technologies for unauthorized use of phonograms have long existed and are used,” he noted.
At the same time, he said that in this case, the situation was more complicated because, as the artist’s team claims, it was the melody of the work that was used, not the original phonogram.
DREVO (photo: instagram.com/drevo_official)
“But in this case, the plagiarist stole the melody – the sequence of notes, while he created his own phonogram with his text, his vocals, and arrangement. And this is no longer tracked by digital works and requires a full examination of the case,” Shiyan explained.
He added that such cases have a higher likelihood of going to court, especially when it comes to another jurisdiction.
“Such situations even in the technological digital environment have a greater chance of ending up in court. Moreover, when it comes to theft in another country, not in the country of the author or rights holder, foreign copyright protection legislation must be applied,” the producer said.
“You have to go through the entire process – from documenting the violation and filing complaints to communicating with platforms or even taking strict legal actions,” he added.
What artists are advised to do in such situations
Mikhail Shiyan pointed out that it is significantly easier for artists to protect their rights when they work with a label or professional team.
“Labels typically work in many areas at once, including helping with the administration of neighboring rights and interacting with organizations that collect copyright royalties both online and offline. This greatly simplifies life for the artist, while an independent artist will have to do all this on their own,” he emphasized.
At the same time, the producer urged musicians not to leave such cases without a response.
“However, the main thing is not to give up and to defend your creativity,” Mikhail concluded.
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