Music publisher BMG Rights Management is suing toy maker MGA Entertainment for allegedly parodying the Black Eyed Peas hit My Humps.
It’s all about a music video that features animated dancing unicorn dolls exuding sparkling slime, which is part of the advertisement for the Poopsie Slime Surprise toy line.
The plaintiffs, BMG, allege that My Poops is clearly a rip-off of the My Humps melody, tempo and chord progression, and even features a female singer who sounds similar to Fergie, who Portal says provided most of the catchy parts in the original.
Copyright dispute: The music publisher BMG Rights Management is suing the toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment for allegedly parodying the Black Eyed Peas hit My Humps
Lawsuit: BMG Rights Management, which claims to own 75% of the copyrights to My Humps, has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages over the skinny unicorn parody
BMG, which claims to own 75% of the copyright to My Humps, claims the toy line has brought tens of millions of dollars in profits to MGA Entertainment, largely due to the My Poops promotional video, which ran without its permission.
The publisher is seeking at least $10 million in damages from the court.
Considering that My Humps was a huge hit for the Black Eyed Peas, peaking at number three on the Hot 100 in November 2005 and eventually winning Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, maybe that amount isn’t too far-fetched.
Similarities: Plaintiffs, BMG, allege My Poops is clearly a ripoff of the melody, tempo and chord progression of My Humps; “My Humps” was a big hit for the Black Eyed Peas in 2005
The first hint of possible copyright infringement comes in the verse where a woman in My Poops sings, “What ya gonna do with all that poop – all that poop- woo woo – I’m gonna poop oh poop poop oh yea – Gonna get loopy off my poopie”, which sounds a lot like the Black Eyed Peas verse in sound, phrasing and delivery, but in different words
Arguing: BMG claims the toy line brought tens of millions of dollars in profits to MGA Entertainment, largely due to the My Poops promotional video that ran without its permission
The first hint of possible copyright infringement comes in the verse where a woman in My Poops sings, “What ya gonna do with all that poop – all that poop- woo woo – I’m gonna poop oh poop poop oh yea – Gonna get freaked out by my poopie. ‘
It sounds very much like the Black Eyed Peas verse in its tone, phrasing and delivery.
‘Whatcha gon’ do with all that stuff – All that stuff in your trunk? – I’ll get you drunk – I’ll get you drunk off my hump,” sing Will.i.am and Fergie on My Humps.
There are also similarities to the catchy hook line that has the unicorns singing, “My Poops, My Poops, My Poops, My Sparkly Glitter Poops!”.
The Black Eyed Peas deliver the catchy hook quite similarly, except for the lyrics: “My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump – My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps.”
The Other Doll Line: Some people may remember that MGA Entertainment was the company behind the Bratz doll line
There are also similarities to the catchy hook line, which has the unicorns singing, “My poops, my poops, my poops, my sparkly poops!”
The Black Eyed Peas deliver it similarly, except for the lyrics: “My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump – My hump, my hump, my hump, my pretty little lumps.”
According to the complaint, MGA ignored cease and desist letters from BMG.
Some people may remember that MGA Entertainment was the company behind the Bratz line of dolls.
Other Similarities: The My Poops version is also accused of including a female singer who sounds very similar to Fergie, according to a lawsuit reported by Portal
No response: According to Portal, MGA ignored cease and desist letters from BMG