Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and Ultra Records have filed a lawsuit against Moody Recordings over an allegedly unauthorized version of the house track "Dancin" by Aaron Smith, claiming copyright infringement and breach of contract.

The lawsuit stems from a 2014 exclusive licensing agreement between Moody and Sony Music, which granted SME rights to "Dancin" for ten years worldwide, except for Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. SME later transferred exclusive rights for Canada and the United States to Ultra Records.

Key points of the lawsuit:

• Defendants Jonas Tempel and William Renkosik (DJ Bad Boy Bill), sole owners of Moody Recordings, allegedly created and released an unauthorized version in 2019
• The unauthorized version has accumulated over 200 million Spotify streams
• Plaintiffs claim losses of "hundreds of thousands of dollars" and "irreparable harm" to the original track's popularity
• Sony Music Spain seeks contract breach damages exceeding $1 million
• The lawsuit requests a four-year extension to the original licensing agreement

The complaint also alleges that Moody Recordings serves as an "alter ego" for Tempel and Renkosik, claiming the company lacks genuine corporate existence and proper documentation. The suit argues both individuals should be personally liable for Moody's actions.

At the time of filing, the defendants had not publicly responded to the allegations. This case (1:23-cv-00885) joins recent music industry legal disputes, including The Weeknd's recently settled "Call Out My Name" lawsuit and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' "Living in a Ghost Town" infringement case.

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