Activision Responds to Content Creator's Threat With Lawsuit

Anthony Fantano, a well-known youtuber who runs the channel The Needle Drop, may be in quite a bit of trouble. The creator, recognized as one of the most influential music critics of our generation, has been sued by Activision.

1. In documents addressed to a court in California the publisher accuses Fantano of abuse of intellectual property rights after he demanded payment for the company's use of a popular sound he authored.
2. Recall that the clip titled Slices Video gained incredible popularity on TikTok in 2021, and the sound from it was often used in clips created by other people on the platform. The problem arose when the video was used by Activision for a clip promoting Crash Bandicoot's signature sneakers.
3. According to information provided by the company's lawyers, initially Fantano sent a letter to Activison, asking for the video to be removed and demanding a settlement. The company reportedly responded to his message, arguing that it had not broken the law, but decided to remove the footage from TikTok anyway.
4. Then Fantano was said to have contacted Activision again, claiming that the removal of the video was not enough and that he would therefore file a lawsuit in a New York court if the company did not pay him a "six-figure sum."
5. Activision has acted first and filed its own lawsuit, in which it seeks a ruling confirming that the company did not violate Fantano's rights. The company's lawyers are relying on TikTok's terms of service indicating that users grant "third parties" the right to modify, adapt, reproduce or create derivative works of the videos they uploaded.
6. Activision also claims to have taken the youtuber's recording from a list of sounds that TikTok has marked as acceptable for commercial use.

At the time of writing this post, Anthony Fantano has not made a public statement about the lawsuit. Activision, however, apparently intends to fight only for "its good name," as there is no mention of any additional demands.

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June 20, 2023

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