Longtime Sonic Composer Sues Sega Over Alleged Unpaid Royalties, Song Use

The popular theme song "Live and Learn" from Sonic Adventure 2 will be featured in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, but the song is now also the subject of a legal dispute between its composer and Sega. Musician Johnny Gioeli is suing Sega of America for breach of contract, claiming that Sega only has rights to the song's lyrics and not the entire composition.

Gioeli states in his lawsuit, filed in December in California, that he owns the master recording and composition of the song. He was unaware that it had been used in at least 25 games, including re-releases of Sonic Adventure 2 and Yakuza 4, and he claims that Sega lacks the proper licenses for these uses, meaning he has not been compensated correctly.

"I have no comment other than my desire to maintain the preservation of a long-standing beautiful relationship with Sega," Gioeli told Polygon. "I do not want fans to draw conclusions or be disrupted from the beautiful memories we have made collectively with this music. I believe and hope we will come to a peaceful settlement that will be fair and just."

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