Hip-hop veterans Cypress Hill and Apple executives have been slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit over a song released almost 20 years ago.
The bosses of California-based Drive-In Music Company have accused the group of illegally sampling a portion of The Music MAChine tune Come on In on the band's 1991 track How I Could Just Kill a Man, which was released on Cypress Hill's self-titled debut album.
According to a lawsuit filed in the Central District Court of California on 10 September (10), Drive-In bosses were alerted to the alleged sampling after seeing copies of the song for sale on Apple's iTunes.
And they claim both parties continue to profit illegally, by continuing to sell digital copies of the song in question.
Company lawyers are now seeking an injunction to halt any further sales of Cypress Hill's debut album, the impoundment of any existing copies and unspecified damages.
News of the lawsuit comes just days after Drive-In executives accused rapper Busta Rhymes and his former Leaders of the New School bandmates of illegally sampling Dyke and The Blazers' tune Let A Woman Be A Woman, Let A Man Be A Man on their 1991 track Case of the P.T.A.
The music executives are seeking a permanent injunction against future sales of the New School album in question, as well an impoundment of remaining CD copies in that suit.
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