A lawsuit over the rights to the Sonic the Hedgehog song Live and Learn has been dismissed, but the songwriter claims the song “remains in ‘limbo'”.
Last year, Crush 40 musician and songwriter Johnny Gioeli sued Sega of America over ownership of the Sonic Adventure 2 theme song, ahead of its feature throughout the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film.
At the time, Gioeli claimed Sega had the rights to the lyrics, but not the “master recording musical composition”. However, “unbeknownst” to the songwriter, the company had “exploited and licensed” the song in “at least 25 video games, television shows, live performances/events and films”.
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In a new statement, Gioeli stated the case against Sega was dismissed “based on time, not on ownership” and so the song remains in “limbo”.
The reason for the statement? Sonic’s forthcoming appearance in Fortnite – we reported last week on leaks suggesting Sonic and Shadow are headed to the battle royale.
“Just two weeks ago, I was contacted by Epic Games to potentially use Live and Learn,” stated Gioeli, “and the amazing part is Sega had them call ME for the rights to use the song. So there you have it. The most epic song remains in the ‘abyss of ownership’.”
Gioeli added: “The song is mine. I wrote it with Jun [Senoue], I sing it, I created the melody, I recorded my vocals in my studio, and they do not own it.”
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News of the lawsuit emerged last year ahead of both Sonic x Shadow Generations and the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film, both of which make use of the song in their soundtracks.
Gioeli’s latest comments precede not just the Fortnite collaboration, but the release this week of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
A leak last week, showed more unannounced DLC is on the way to the racing game.