“Live And Learn” Musician Suing SEGA Over Ownership Rights

Originally debuting in Sonic Adventure 2, “Live And Learn” has gone on to become one of the franchise’s most iconic music tracks, even receiving some presence in the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 3 movie, which is based on the aforementioned debut game.

Now, one of its composers Johnny Gioeli is suing SEGA over the track. The lawsuit was filed earlier this month in California, and alleges that SEGA only has the rights to use the lyrics of the song, and not any other part of the composition. Gioeli worked with SEGA composer Jun Senoue on the track as the band Crush 40, and claims to own “master recording and composition” of the song. Gioeli also claims that he was unaware that Live And Learn was used in over 25 different games after its debut in Sonic Adventure 2, and asserts the because SEGA does not have the correct licenses to use the song, he was not properly compensated for his work.

Gioeli hopes that the lawsuit will help determine who exactly owns “Live And Learn”, and by extension determine what he is owed in terms of lost fees. If the court rules in Gioeli’s favor, he could be owed over $500,000 in unpaid royalties, along with an additional $500,000 for the breach in contract.

The full legal document for the suit is publicly available here.

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