A Grammy-winning artist and his mogul music supervisor declare they had been swindled out of hundreds of thousands by a rich Silicon Valley energy couple who stole their AI software program concept in an elaborate scheme, an explosive lawsuit claims.
Songwriter and music producer Warren “Oak” Felder, who has written songs for Mariah Carey and Britany Spears, and his trade veteran accomplice, Lucas Keller, are suing tech husband and spouse powerhouses Walter and Samia De Brouwer, accusing them of stealing their music copyright software program.
The papers filed in Los Angeles arrange a dramatic battle between the uber-rich Bay Space entrepreneurs and Southern California artists who declare they’ve been robbed of at the very least $5 million.
“Unscrupulous Silicon Valley scammers Walter and Samia De Brouwer put cash earlier than morals, exploiting the concepts and labor of a prolific songwriter and music producer,” the papers say.
Keller, who constructed international expertise administration firm Milk and Honey Music + Sports activities that boasts Kansas Metropolis Chiefs Travis Kelce as a shopper, met the De Brouwers round 2016 they usually “turned shut household pals,” based on the go well with.
The 25-year music trade veteran says in 2023, he, Felder, and the De Brouwers mentioned growing software program to create music utilizing AI.
Keller and Felder talked concerning the addition of a “copyright checker” in order that the software program would flag copyrighted chords,” the papers declare.
“The De Brouwers had been enamored with the idea and needed to be concerned,” the lawsuit claims.
The tech couple agreed that if the 2 artists wrote the software program, together with the “copyright checker”, the Brouwers would pay Keller and Felder in inventory choices from their firm “Snowcrash,” the lawsuit claims.
Snowcrash awarded Keller and Felder 345,000 shares every to be vested between November 2023 and November 2028, on Carta.com and Keller and Felder every accepted, the papers say.
Shortly afterwards, the De Brouwers “busied themselves with their fraudulent scheme,” by after they “coerced” Felder and Keller to assign the software program patent to Snowcrash, based on the lawsuit.
The De Brouwers then shaped a brand new firm, Sound Patrol, and used that firm to buy nearly all of Snowcrash’s belongings, together with the patent, the papers learn.
The transfer “drove the worth of Felder and Keller’s inventory choices six ft below,” and the De Brouwers ended up “touchdown a extremely profitable licensing cope with Common Music Group and Sony Music,” with Sound Patrol the lawsuit claims.
“Sound Patrol has not paid a penny to Keller or Felder for his or her work growing the software program or for the patent,” the papers declare.
The duo say they’re owed in extra of $5 million and are searching for damages and the appropriate to the software program patent.
The De Brouwers are tech giants, having based the AI firm founding the AI firm Doc.ai in 2016, which was then acquired by digital well being firm Sharecare, based on the corporate’s web site.
Walter is listed as a co-founder together with Hollywood mogul, Michael Ovitz on the Sound Patrol web site.
“With Michael Ovitz as Co-Founder, SoundPatrol gained direct entry to the worldwide leisure trade, accelerating its deployment throughout music, sports activities, streaming, and past,” the web site says.
Sound Patrol can also be listed within the lawsuit as a defendant.
Each the De Brouwers and Sound Patrol had been contacted for remark.
Keller represents over 70 high singers and songwriters and Felder has offered over 100 million information, the papers say.
