“A former drummer of the iconic punk rock band The Ramones sued Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Apple Inc. and Real Networks Inc. on Friday, alleging copyright infringement over digital downloads of the band’s songs,” Chad Bray reports for MarketWatch.
“Richard Reinhardt, who performed under the name Richie Ramone, filed his lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan… Reinhardt claims he is the author of six Ramones songs… ‘Significantly, Richie has never licensed or authorized the use of the compositions in any digital formats,’ the lawsuit says,” Bray reports.
“The lawsuit claims Reinhardt has suffered at least $900,000 in damages as a result of the alleged infringement,” Bray reports.
Full article here.
i say we “beat the brat”!
Sounds like someone is a little short on cash.
isnt it the record companies responsibilty to ensure that the artists are paid? Apple don’t pay the artists, they pay the record companies. in turn they should pay the artists accordingly.
The RAMONES were an awesome band, one of my favs, I hope richie gets what he deserves, if it turns out hes been shafted.
He should be sedated.
How did his songs get onto itunes? If they were submitted by a recording company then he signed an agreement with the Fat Greedy Bastards! not Apple incs fault.
If they were submitted by his band then see the above!!!
If they were submitted by a ghost, see the above!!!
I wonder if he was drugs at the time?
Life hard, the you die…..Someone introduce him to the joy’s of drinking Camel’s Milk, One major & minor fart will inspire him to compose a “One hit wonder”!
Someone needs to read their contracts with their Recording label and publisher…
OMG, OMG,OMG it’s the Ramones!
Hey Richie, “Someone put something in your drink” and “why can’t you say something nice”? But seriously are you Jesus or just pissed at “Human Kind”? At your age “you should know better now”.
Who the Bleeep are the Ramones? Better yet who cares!
Timewaste…
Richie needs more drug money.
I can’t agree about the Ramones being a great band. I bought a collection of their best songs and couldn’t believe how bad most of them were. Mostly sounded like punk garagebands who barely knew how to play. I like punk but the Ramones were not close to being good in my opinion.
Dude, go get yourself SEDATED and go talk to your record company.
Razor got it right,
Except for one thing.
The Ramones SUCK!
I like how they say “former” drummer. He was a stand in. He didn’t make any significant contributions to the band or their signature sound.
What a loser.
This suit will be thrown out as soon as the Judge listens to the group’s “music”.
Yet another idiot.
What else was he to do?
The band is gone and mostly forgotten, he doesn’t have any talent or skill to make money on his own and drugs and hookers cost money.
He had to sue.
That’s the Ramone who only played for a few years, the later years I might add, left cuz he wanted shirt money. As for bashing the band, I suppose you liked the other stuff the mid 70’s had to offer? Captain and tinelle? ELO? The Carpenters?
Wait, I mean cheezy ramones song title pun, durp.
So sad, have pity on the surviving punk residue….But no soup for you! (or money) Sue the record companies…
“…mostly sounded like punk garagebands who barely knew how to play…”
Uh, it’s punk, man The attitude was more important than the notes. No one will ever confuse Joey Ramone or Patti Smith or Wendy Williams or Johnny Rotten with philosophers – but then Plato could never crank out “The KKK Took My Baby Away” after running up heroin, either.
Have some respect for the innovators – they’re not always as polished as the imitators.
Apple may need to build a 3rd campus for their own lawyers. With all the current lawsuits (and future lawsuits), they’ll need all the space they can get.
If Mr. Reinhardt wants to make some pocket cash and do the world a favor at the same time, he should instead sue his label(s) for everything they’re worth, they’re the ones that cut the distribution deals with the distributors – hello…?
Is he suing the distributors of the CDs, as well?
So much for anti-establishmentarianism.
“Have some respect for the innovators – they’re not always as polished as the imitators.”
My point was that the Ramones were hardly innovators. Surprisingly few ideas for a band with such a high reputation. That’s what disappointed me. Plenty of bands in that time were more innovative: Stranglers, Jam, Joy Division (then New Order) and I’m probably forgetting many more. The Velvet Underground were in my opinion way more influential than any other band.
But, I wear a Ramones T-shirt every day. I’m in the club!
Seriously? You’re going to compare crude noisemakers like the Ramones to an immense talent like Karen Carpenter? With a straight face?
The Ramones deserve every bit of their reputation, in my opinion – they were a breath of fresh air in the mid-seventies, when pop radio was putrid with the stink of John Denver and Olivia Newton-John. The great sixties bands had mostly gone commercial or disbanded, and the specter of God-forsaken disco was looming ahead. If the Ramones seem dated now, it’s because they’ve been copied so frequently since those days. In ’77, having “Judy Is A Punk” pop up on your local station between KC and The Commodores offered a ray of hope that rock still existed, at least for a little while longer…
Yeah, the Ramones are cool, but I’m not sure that “writing” one of their songs is anything to be proud of. Did he find some new way to strum two or three chords over and over for three minutes?
If you’re young and high and have a twisted sense of humor, I’m sure The Ramones could be entertaining. Otherwise: Absolute useless noise pollution.
As for the lawsuit: Barking up the wrong tree?
rock fans
def: young and high and have a twisted sense of humor
ant: old, sober, anal [see grandma]
gorsh
def: idiot
ant: not an idiot
quod erat demonstrandum
Poor, hapless boob.
But thanks for playing.
Oh I wish I had something to sue Apple with, it seems de rigueur.
BTW, “Wendy Williams”? You DO mean Wendy O. Williams don’t you. So sad, she committed suicide a few years ago.
Also, early Tubes are more punk than the Ramones.
Who are the Ramones?
Had to reply when saw Ramones with Karen Carpenter in the same post… Have both in my iTunes and think both are amazingly talented in their own way.
If the guy thinks he was something due to him – the court will decide.
A thread like this is why I hate elitist thinking – somebody feels they have to be right.
Most of you ARE idiots.
And I am right about that.
Who cares.
The Ramones were awesome but this but this is a licensing issue with the record company, not iTunes. Who is Richie Ramone anyway? It’s sounds like Pete Best suing iTunes because he played he played the same drum part as Ringo on Twist and Shout and wasn’t getting a cut of Beatles sales. Well, if iTunes actually sold the Beatles.
“….Seriously? You’re going to compare crude noisemakers like the Ramones to an immense talent like Karen Carpenter? With a straight face?….”
I can’t believe somebody referred to Karen Carpenter as an “immense talent” with a straight face. That’s like praising Mr Rogers for his immense talent as a journalist and edgy fashion sense or bragging about how much better your Cavalier handles than those tacky, overpriced BMW’s. You shouldn’t even be allowed to use Apple products.
This is totally bs–Tommie & Markie were the only 2 real Ramone drummers. Period. As someone else mentioned–this duoche was a temporary fill-in. Evidently not a very intelligent one either because the Ramones records were released ‘in digital form’ (known as CD’s) long before he was even hired.
Seriously? Edgy fashion sense? Edgy?
You should have been aborted.
I’ll get you at recess…
He needs to take his gripe to Tower and Chrysalis–otherwise in the immortal words, “why don’t you just ffffffffffade away!”
@djfred,
So, in your reality, where The Ramones are “awsome” and referring to Karen Carpenter as an immense talent is liken to some bad joke, I’ll assume that the taste of shit is preferred over filet mignon.
@ the Other Mark
“…You DO mean Wendy O. Williams don’t you…”
yeah – the Plasmatics chick… sort of ‘circus punk’. They didn’t make the radio much, but I was in school when the cops in Wisconsin kicked her face in and sent her to the hospital…