SB Projects is located in Manhattan's West Village, a neighborhood rich in artistic atmosphere and a cultural landmark for New Yorkers. This area is home to various artists, including painters, musicians, actors, writers, and more.
The majority are singers. Since the 1950s, the West Village has become one of the birthplaces of modern folk music. In 1965, Bob Dylan's performance at the Newport Folk Festival turned it into a holy place for rock musicians.
Many musicians performed in bars and clubs here before they became famous, and some were discovered by talent scouts and turned into superstars, including jazz singer Ray Charles, Norah Jones, and Lady Gaga.
SB Projects decided to base its headquarters here, taking advantage of the local talent.
Previously, Scooter's favorite pastime was standing by his floor-to-ceiling windows after work, enjoying the street performances of musicians below. Today, however, their music sounded like noise, and he wished he could shout for them to shut up.
"Boss, I'm back."
Assistant Alex returned to the office, panting.
"How did it go?"
Scooter asked eagerly.
Alex placed a file on the desk, sounding defeated as he confirmed that the copyright registration for the song "Baby" was genuine, and the two versions had a similarity of nearly 50%.
"How is this possible? Ludacris told me this was an original work. How could it be accused of plagiarism? Why?!"
Scooter angrily questioned.
Alex didn't know how to explain. The song "Baby" was performed by Justin Bieber and Ludacris, with five credited songwriters: Justin Bieber, Ludacris, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, and Christina Milian. The main creators were the latter four. Ludacris was an SB Projects artist, and the other three musicians had collaborations with the company.
Now, with this issue, not only did the creators face liability, but SB Projects bore a greater responsibility.
Based on current court rulings on infringement, penalties ranged from five to ten times the degree of infringement and the benefits gained.
"Baby" was not only Justin's breakthrough hit but also the lead single from his album "My World 2.0." It was influential worldwide, and SB Projects had earned millions from it and expected to earn more.
Because of the song's impact and high earnings, the court would impose a heavy penalty.
Worse, it was Justin's debut single, now accused of plagiarism. How would fans react? A top-charting song turned out to be plagiarized. The media would harshly criticize both Justin and SB Projects.
If mishandled, Justin's career could be ruined, and SB Projects might go bankrupt.
"Fuck! Fuck!"
Scooter suddenly erupted in rage, swinging a golf club around his office, smashing trophies, picture frames, and fish tanks.
"Boss, calm down. Getting angry won't help. Let's think of a solution."
Alex tried to console him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Scooter bashed the leather sofa Ivanka had sat on with the golf club.
After a while, Ludacris and the four producers entered the office, surprised to see the mess, as if it had been ransacked.
"What happened?"
Ludacris, dressed in a white T-shirt and gold chain, similar to his look in "Fast & Furious," smacked his lips and asked Scooter, who sat grim-faced and silent.
"Look at this."
Alex handed the "Baby" copyright registration to Ludacris and the others.
Their expressions changed as they read it.
"Impossible! We co-wrote this song. How could it be plagiarism? This document must be fake."
Ludacris exclaimed.
Scooter sat back in his chair, his face dark and silent.
"Unfortunately, it's real."
Alex showed a photo on his phone, taken at the copyright archive, identical to the document.
"There's also a demo recording at the archive. I listened to it; the chorus is almost identical to our 'Baby'."
Alex added.
"How is this possible? We definitely didn't plagiarize. Did any of you reference this work during creation?"
Ludacris looked at his three companions.
They all shook their heads, adamantly denying it.
Scooter scrutinized the four, seeing no one admit anything. He pondered and asked, "Besides you four, did anyone else participate in or influence the creation?"
"No!"
Ludacris and the other two shook their heads in denial.
Only Terius Nash, a musician, spoke up, "When we were making the song, that production assistant who jumped ship from Link Music said the chorus sounded familiar, like he had heard it somewhere."
"What?!"
Scooter sat up, leaning on his desk, shouting, "Did he participate in the production?"
Terius thought for a moment, "He adjusted the chorus's arrangement, originally in a lower key."
"Fuck! Fuck! Why didn't you say this earlier?"
Scooter yelled, veins bulging on his forehead and neck.
"He only made a minor change, less than 1% of the song. We didn't think it would coincide with Link's work. It must be a coincidence."
Terius Nash defended.
"Fool! This is Ivanka's trick. She knew we were poaching from Link Music. To counter us, she set a bait, luring us to take it, then handed us a free song. Her goal was to take over my company. It must be so. Ivanka is ruthless."
Scooter fumed.
"Scooter, except for the chorus's arrangement, the rest is our original work. We didn't plagiarize."
Ludacris insisted.
"What's the point? The two songs are 50% similar. They registered in 2008; we did in late 2009. That Link Music assistant was with us and involved in the creation. Knowing this, who will the judges believe?"
Scooter's face reddened as he slammed the desk.
Ludacris and the others were at a loss. The coincidences were too many to explain away.
Scooter, frustrated, looked at the four. Seeing them speechless, he slumped in his chair, staring at the crystal chandelier, muttering.
"This must be Ivanka's conspiracy. Last year, she knew we were targeting Link Music and quickly launched a countermeasure, planting a poison pill in SB Projects. After 'Baby' was released, she said nothing, waiting until the album sold well. When the time was right, she used 'Baby's' copyright to blackmail us, aiming to forcefully acquire SB. She's ruthless. We only poached a few of her people, and she wants to take over."
Scooter clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in anger.
"Boss, should we accept her acquisition?"
Alex asked.
"No, of course not. SB is my blood, sweat, and tears. I'd rather give up Justin Bieber than sell the company to her."
Scooter coldly replied.
"Then we'll have to fight Link Music in court. But with their earlier copyright registration, it's hard to win."
Alex spread his hands.
Scooter knew this too.
Ivanka came from a powerful family, with connections in the legal system. Winning in court was unlikely. Losing would mean paying a hefty compensation to Link Music, damaging Justin's reputation and possibly ruining his career. SB's investment in Justin would also be a total loss.
But settling privately meant selling the company to Link Music at a low price, making SB a subsidiary. That wasn't a result Scooter could accept.
"You all go now. I need to think."
After they left, Scooter sat in his office, rubbing his temples, desperately trying to find a way out.
Ding ding ding!
After some time, his phone rang. It was Jay-Z calling.
"Jay, what's up?"
"Scooter, you told me you'd release Link's scandal video online at eight tonight. It's already half past eight. Where is it?"
"The video? It's already eight?"
Scooter glanced at the window. At some point, the sky had darkened, with colorful neon lights reflecting on the glass, unexpectedly beautiful. He slapped his forehead.
"Sorry, Jay, I've been too busy and forgot. I'll upload it right now."