Musician refuses to let it go in copyright suit against Disney
A California-based musician has taken on Disney, claiming the media multinational ripped off one of his songs for “Let it Go”, a hit number in the film “ Frozen”.
Jaime Ciero sued Disney, along with singer Demi Lovato, actor Idina Menzel and the songwriters of “Let it Go”, at the US District Court for the Central District of California on Thursday, November 23.
Menzel, who voiced the character Elsa in Disney’s film, performed the song, while Lovato did a pop version of it.
Ciero claimed that his song “Volar”, which was published in 2008, was misappropriated and unlawfully copied and reproduced to create “Let it Go”.
Another version of the song was recorded and performed by Ciero and the singer Karina Moreno.
“Since its initial release and publication, the subject song was a huge international success, reaching millions of listeners and landing on numerous charts of the most popular and top-performing songs,” said the lawsuit of the original track.
“Let it Go” bears similarities “so striking as to preclude the possibility that the latter song was independently created”, according to Ciero.
Ciero said that the songs contain “note combinations and structures, hooks, melodies, lyrics, themes, production, and textures that are at least substantially similar”.
To compare the songs, click here for “ Let it Go” and here for “ Volar”.
The musician is seeking injunctive relief and profits from the film—which earned nearly $1.3 billion in worldwide box office revenue—as well as its music and marketing.
“Frozen” is no stranger to copyright disputes.
In 2014, New Jersey-based author Isabella Tanikumi accused the film of infringing copyright in her memoirs, one of which is “Yearnings of the Heart”.
Tanikumi claimed that there were 18 instances of “characters, plots, sub-plots and the storyline” being lifted from her work, but a US judge ruled that “Frozen” didn’t infringe the copyright.
WIPR also reported that filmmaker Kelly Wilson had claimed that a teaser trailer for “Frozen” was substantially similar to a short film she created called “The Snowman”.
And in 2015, an official song for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics came under fire for allegedly copying “Let it Go” itself.
Some YouTubers who listened to “The Ice and Snow Dance”, created by Chinese songwriter Zhao Zhao, claimed that the song had jumped on the back of the success of “Frozen” and “Let it Go”.
The song was subsequently removed from YouTube.
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