Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier finished sixth in the short figure skating program at the Beijing Olympics. The Americans received a score of 74.23 and before the free program they could still dream of a medal.
But now they have a different problem with their heads. Knierim and Frazier, along with the US television station NBC and the American Figure Skating Association, have been sued for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was filed by brothers Robert and Aron Marderosian, professionally known as Heavy Young Heathens.
The men create music for movies, series, trailers and commercials. And it is advertising that is the subject of their complaint. According to the Marderosian brothers, Knierim and Frazier infringed the copyright because their short trip to the IO was accompanied by a traditional folk song in the version of Heavy Young Heathens.
Figure skaters accused
This song was used in the trailer for the 2016 movie “Seven Magnificent” and in an advertisement for one of the largest car manufacturing companies. The American Figure Skating Association was charged with permission to travel, and NBC was charged with spreading illegal activities via television broadcasting.
The musicians’ lawyer and father, Mick Marderosian, said on Thursday that the skaters agent “refused to hear their arguments.” “This is the first time I hear about such a situation” – TVP journalist Mateusz Górecki wrote on Twitter.
Heavy Young Heathens’ music has appeared on a number of TV shows, including the famous animated series “The Simpsons” and movie trailers such as “Deadpool”. Earlier, the brothers accused several other companies of copyright infringement, accusing, inter alia, Fox Sports, Discovery Inc., Monster Energy, and Warner Brothers.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
