Germany: Music and the Arts

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Article
Kraftwerk Sampling Ruling: Pastiche Finds Its Rhythm
Germany's highest civil court has ruled that an unlicensed sample from Kraftwerk's 1977 track "Metall auf Metall" used in a hip hop song qualifies as lawful pastiche under EU copyright law. This landmark decision, concluding a nearly 30-year legal dispute, establishes new parameters for when sampling can constitute creative engagement rather than mere copying, though it stops short of providing blanket protection for all unauthorized samples.
European Union IP
LS
Lewis Silkin
Article
Der Bundesgerichtshof wendet die „Pastiche“-Doktrin des EuGH an und bestätigt die Rechtmäßigkeit von Musik-Sampling
The German Federal Court of Justice has delivered a landmark ruling in the decades-long "Metall auf Metall" litigation, applying the EU Court of Justice's framework to determine whether unauthorized music sampling can qualify as lawful "pastiche" under copyright law. The decision examines whether a two-second rhythm sequence from Kraftwerk's 1977 recording, used repeatedly in a 1997 song, constitutes permissible artistic dialogue or copyright infringement.
Germany IP
GT
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
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