While Kendrick Lamar is basking in the glory of the release of his new GNX album, he is also surrounded by controversy. On Monday (Nov. 25), his nemesis Drake filed not one but two pre-action petitions accusing Universal Music Group of conspiring with Spotify and iHeartRadio to artificially inflate Kendrick's "Not Like Us" numbers by using bots and payola. One claim in the court filings accuses UMG of removing the copyright restictions on "Not Like Us" as a tactic to foster the spread of the track. A move that was previously thought to have been done on K-Dot's part so content creators could monetize videos using the song.
Drake's initial 17-page court filing includes many shocking claims, including the allegation that UMG provided under-the-table payments to platforms to promote "Not Like Us" to his detriment. One way Drake's lawyers claim UMG boosted the track was by removing restrictions that would not allow people to monetize videos using the song on social media and streaming platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
"And in a sea-change for UMG’s internal policy, UMG removed the Song’s copyright restrictions on YouTube and Twitch, thereby 'whitelisting' the Song (for the first time in UMG history), which further incentivized influencers to spread the Song," Drake lawyers write in the court filing.
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