After an 11-day trial in a Los Angeles federal court, a jury sided with multi-platinum recording artist and songwriter Jason Derulo and record label Sony Music Entertainment. The jury found that Derulo and Sony Music did not deprive the plaintiff of producer and songwriter credit, copyright ownership and related royalties relating to the chart-topping hit song fully-entitled Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) that was released in June 2020.
Savage Love is a lyrical version of a popular instrumental entitled Laxed (Siren Beat) by writer-producer Joshua Nanai, professionally known as Jawsh 685. Laxed (Siren Beat) was a viral sensation in the spring of 2020, and Derulo, Sony Music and Jawsh 685 entered into an agreement to create a derivative work based on Jawsh 685’s pre-existing music.
The plaintiff, who was credited and paid as an instrumentalist and session guitarist on Savage Love, claimed for the first time in 2023 that he actually wrote, produced and created the entire song during his six hours of work over two studio sessions at Derulo’s home recording studio in April 2020. Derulo, on the other hand, oversaw all nine recording sessions that lasted a total of 60 hours, in addition to co-writing the lyrics and selecting and supervising all contributors, among other tasks. Derulo is the lead vocalist and co-writer of Savage Love, and Jawsh 685 is the sole credited producer of the track.
“Jason Derulo and Sony Music have maintained all along that the plaintiff was appropriately compensated and credited for his work and that he did not play any role in writing or producing Savage Love,” said lead trial counsel Josh Rosenberg, who represented Derulo and Sony Music. “We thank the jury for their dedication and their service, and we are grateful that they reached the correct result.”
In addition to Rosenberg, Derulo and Sony Music were represented by Sheppard lawyers Kent Raygor, Allison Wong, Alyssa Stolmack, trial team specialist Vineet Dua, and unwavering support from practice specialist Samantha Jackson.
The case is Matthew Spatola v Jason Desrouleaux, Sony Music Entertainment, et al
2:2023 cv06191 (US District Court for the Central District of California)
Read more below (subscription may be required).
"Jason Derulo Wins at Trial, Jury Finds 'Savage Love' Not Co-Authored by Guitarist," Rolling Stone
"Jason Derulo Wins 'Savage Love' Copyright Trial: Session Guitarist Can't Get Royalties," Billboard
"Sheppard Defeats Copyright Claim for Singer Jason Derulo," The Daily Journal