When we think "music piracy," Steve Harvey isn't the first person that comes to mind. Yet the talk show host and the staff behind The Steve Harvey Morning Show and Steve Harvey is under legal attack for allegedly using hundreds of songs on his program without proper licensure.
Music publishing company We 3 Kings, according to court documents and The Chicago Defender, alleged that Harvey and co. used a total of 268 songs from the Kings catalog illegally during the second season of Steve Harvey (advice: when bringing a lawsuit, the more specific the better).
The company is suing for $42.3 million for the misuse of the tracks, as well as additional penalties for every network that the show is syndicated on (We 3 Kings is literally suing the networks as well) and an injunction against the program to prevent them from using music from the Kings catalogue further. The $42.3 million sum is supported by more than just music industry regulations however. According to We 3 Kings, the executives from the company may soon need to file for bankruptcy as a result of Steve Harvey's actions. They claim that Harvey's flaunting of publishing laws has weakened the company's ability to license out its music to other television and radio programs.
We 3 Kings claims it had a contract with the program for 202 episodes, after which Harvey's continued use of its music is illegal. The calculations behind the cash damages amount comes down to a $700 fine per unlicensed cue, multiplied by 225...one for each distributor, according to FindLaw.com.
Steve Harvey's production company is Endemol USA and the show is distributed by NBCUniversal. How active Harvey himself in handling the music for his talk show is debatable.
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