We know her as the adorable beauty guru with some of the most helpful makeup tutorials on YouTube. EDM musicians know her as… a thief?
Ultra Records, a label that represents some of the biggest names in electronic dance music, like Calvin Harris, is suing Michelle Phan for copyright infringement. According to Refinery29, the label claims that Phan has been featuring Ultra songs in her YouTube videos without obtaining a license to use them. Phan profits from these helpful (and highly addictive) makeup video tutorials, and Ultra has a problem with that. For each infringed work, the label is requesting maximum statutory damages of $150,000. That’s PER song!
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Phan, who has grown her love of beauty products into a full-time career with endorsement deals and her own cosmetics line, is fighting back.
The beauty vlogger has responded to these allegations by claiming that her intention when using the music in her videos was always to promote other artists and expose them to an international audience. According to Phan’s legal team, “Kaskade, whose music has been featured in Michelle’s videos, has publicly defended Michelle against Ultra’s claims and acknowledges the success he’s gained from her support.” Regardless, the makeup artist has immediately stopped using the label’s music in her videos.
We’re definitely keeping tabs on this lawsuit to see who comes out on top. In the meantime, we’ll still be watching Michelle Phan’s super informative and easy makeup How-To’s. Watch one for yourself below!
