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5 November 2014Copyright

Jay Z, Kanye West and Frank Ocean in copyright dispute

US rappers Jay Z, Kanye West and Frank Ocean have been targeted in a copyright infringement lawsuit concerning a collaborative song that featured in the hit album Watch the Throne.

In a lawsuit filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the trio are accused by musician Joel Mac of stealing the name of the song Made in America as well as “copying” other elements, including its tune.

Mac had previously sued in a New York state court, seeking $3 million in damages.

In his complaint against the rap artists, Mac claims he sold a copy of his CD, featuring his 2009 track Made in America, to producer Mike Dean outside New York’s Mercer Hotel in 2011, according to entertainment website  TMZ.com.

The rappers were allegedly booked into a suite inside the hotel, recording Watch the Throne at the time.

Mac said he later discovered the album included a song with the same name, and that it sounded too much like his own for it to be a coincidence.

Producer Dean is also targeted in the lawsuit.

According to music news website Billboard, the 2011 album debuted at number one in the US Billboard 200 chart, with the week’s sales totalling 436,000 copies in the US.

Its first week also yielded the biggest one-week digital tally ever for a rap album and sold nearly 200,000 downloads in one week, breaking the US iTunes Store’s sales record.

The album is produced by West and Jay Z but Made in America also features Ocean.

Mac is seeking a cut of the album song’s profits.

The stars have yet to respond to the accusations.

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