Jake Paul Hit With Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Over ‘Litmas’ Song

This Christmas isn’t looking very lit for Jake Paul.

Three Los Angeles music producers sued the YouTube star and his production company, Team 10, for copyright infringement Thursday. They’re accusing the former Viner of stealing the backing track to his 2017 song “Litmas” from their 2015 song “Bad Santa.”

Erik Belz, Jonathan Pakfar and Shane Eli Abrahams filed the suit against Paul Thursday in U.S. District Court Thursday, seeking damages and injunctive relief and demanding that Paul cease and desist use of the song.

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The trio claim that Paul has never compensated them despite having blatantly ripped off their work, according to the filing.

“Defendants have not acknowledged Plaintiffs’ contribution nor obtained permission to use their copyrighted master recording and composition, nor provided them with compensation,” the filing reads. “While Defendants and others have received many accolades and substantial profits from ‘Litmas,’ Plaintiffs have received nothing – no acknowledgement, no credit, no remuneration of any kind.”

The suit also says that “repeated and continuing commercial use and exploitation of Plaintiffs’ Work is not within the scope of the ‘fair use’ exception to copyright,” and that “the sameness of the performance and striking similarity between ‘Litmas’ and the protectable elements of [“Bad Santa”] are obvious, such that an ordinary lay listener would instantly recognize the similarity between the works.”

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It’s been a bad week for Paul and his brother, fellow YouTuber Logan Paul. Both social-media mavericks dropped off of Forbes’ list of top 10 highest-paid YouTubers of 2019. According to Forbes, Logan Paul was the 10th highest earner in 2018, bringing in $14.5 million. Jake Paul was the second highest paid, with $21.5 million.