Someone at HTC dropped the ball. Nina Simone‘s estate is suing the phone company for using the late, great Jazz singer and pianist’s “Sinnerman” without proper permission.
Reports TMZ:
Don’t mess with the High Priestess of Soul.
Nina Simone’s 1965 hit “Sinnerman” is an R&B classic … but that doesn’t mean a phone company can boldly rip it off … so her heirs are suing for $1 Mil minimum … TMZ has learned.
The lawsuit — filed by Simone’s estate — accuses smartphone company HTC of using her song in its TV commercial without obtaining the rights.
We reached out and touched someone at HTC … so far, no call back.
“Sinnerman,” from Simon’s Pastel Blues album, was famously sampled by Kanye West for Talib Kweli’s hit “Get By,” which got the proper sample clearance.
A biopic starring Zoe Saldana as Simone has been completed. Check out HTC’s commercial, part of its You campaign, below.
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Photo: RCA Records
