Megadeth are currently facing legal action from the cover artist of their latest album. the sick, the dying, and the deadillustrator/designer Brent Elliot White claims he received no compensation or credit for his work.
The lawsuit was filed by White on February 3 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. In the lawsuit, White said he was contacted about working on the album in early 2020. Although no contract was signed at the time, White proceeded to revise and edit, as well as develop a concept that required hours of work. He had previously worked with the group on three of his other projects.
According to the lawsuit shared by The Hollywood Reporter, by April 2021 the concept for the album had been chosen and the band had asked White to create the art for the EP release. Over a year later, he was asked by the band’s manager, Bob Johnsen, for additional artistic renderings that could be used to decorate the stage on the band’s upcoming tour. and reminded them that no contract had been concluded and no payment had been made.
“I know album release times are busy, but the send-off, including the album art, is subject to compensation and contracts. Johnsen, on the other hand, allegedly replied, “No one was going to put this on paper,” adding, “I’ll bring it up the right way.”
According to White, the single dropped the next day and his artwork was featured, but he was not credited. I explained that I still own the copyright. In the meantime, the album would arrive in September 2022, and the agreed price had yet to be settled.While no agreement was reached, his YouTube videos using the work and merchandise using the work were sold. was
That has now led to a lawsuit, in which White has been accused of willful copyright infringement under New York’s No Freelance Freelance Law, which requires a written contract for works worth more than $800. He has named Megadeth, Universal Music Group, and others as suspects.
In the lawsuit, White also seeks compensation for what they see as “illegal attempts to reduce compensation after rendering services and retribution endured after complaints” for their violations. , states that the defendant tried to get White to accept the same terms he agreed to for the first Megadeth album he worked on. bottom. When Johnsen countered that he would agree to the terms only if it was a “full acquisition” of White’s intellectual property, the artist resisted and countered with a price to buy out his rights, which the defendants refused. Negotiations have broken down, and White claims he has not yet been paid, even though promotions using his artwork have moved forward.
The artist is seeking a court injunction to stop the band and its label from using the artwork, seeking damages and forfeiture of profits.
Legal documents detailing the lawsuit can be found here.
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