Movie studios and record labels hate piracy, which is why many studios have gone after pirates with a vengeance. That being said it is also ironic when these studios allegedly engage in piracy of their own, which is what Sony is currently being accused of. According to reports, Korean singer Yoon Mi Rae is accusing Sony of using her song “Pay Day” in The Interview movie without negotiating rights or paying her in any way for its use, which essentially is piracy.
According to a statement released by her label, it seems that Sony and Yoon Mi Rae were in discussions to use the song for the movie, but at some point the discussions ceased and were not followed through, and it was only after the movie had been released that they realized that Sony had gone ahead and used her song anyway.
Her label writes, “There were initial discussions for using “Pay Day” in the movie, but at some point, the discussions ceased and we assumed that it would not follow through. However, after the movie was released, we learned that the track had been used without permission, legal procedure, or contracts. We will be taking legal action against Sony Pictures as well as DFSB, the agency that had been carrying out the discussion regarding the use of the track.”
It also seems that Yoon Mi Rae was not credited for the track used in the film as well, so it looks like not only did Sony use the song with her permission, they didn’t even bother to credit her. A lawsuit is said to be pending although it is unclear how Sony will respond but a settlement is the likely scenario.