Silicon Valley couple accused of stealing AI music expertise

A Grammy-winning artist and his mogul music supervisor declare they had been swindled out of hundreds of thousands by a rich Silicon Valley energy couple who stole their AI software program thought in an elaborate scheme, an explosive lawsuit claims.

Songwriter and music producer Warren “Oak” Felder, who has written songs for Mariah Carey and Britany Spears, and his trade veteran associate Lucas Keller are suing tech husband and spouse powerhouses Walter and Samia De Brouwer, accusing them of stealing their music copyright software program.   

The court docket papers filed in Los Angeles arrange a dramatic battle between the uber-rich Bay Space entrepreneurs and Southern California artists who declare they’ve been robbed of not less than $5 million.

“Unscrupulous Silicon Valley scammers Walter and Samia De Brouwer put cash earlier than morals, exploiting the concepts and labor of a prolific songwriter and music producer,” the court docket papers state.

Keller, who constructed world expertise administration firm Milk and Honey Music + Sports activities, which boasts Kansas Metropolis Chiefs Travis Kelce as a shopper, met the De Brouwers round 2016 and so they “turned shut household buddies,” in response to the swimsuit.

The 25-year music trade veteran says that in 2023 he, Felder and the De Brouwers mentioned growing software program to create music utilizing AI. 

Keller and Felder talked concerning the addition of a “copyright checker” in order that the software program would flag copyrighted chords,” the papers declare.

“The De Brouwers had been enamored with the idea and wished to be concerned,” the lawsuit claims. 

The tech couple agreed that if the 2 artists wrote the software program, together with the so-called copyright checker, the Brouwers would pay Keller and Felder in inventory choices from their firm Snowcrash, the lawsuit claims.

Snowcrash awarded Keller and Felder 345,000 shares every to be vested between November 2023 and November 2028 on Carta.com, and Keller and Felder every accepted, the papers say.

Shortly afterward, the De Brouwers “busied themselves with their fraudulent scheme” once they “coerced” Felder and Keller to assign the software program patent to Snowcrash, in response to the lawsuit.

The De Brouwers then shaped a brand new firm, Sound Patrol, and used that firm to buy just about all of Snowcrash’s property, together with the patent, the papers learn.  

The transfer “drove the worth of Felder and Keller’s inventory choices six ft beneath,” and the De Brouwers ended up “touchdown a extremely profitable licensing cope with Common Music Group and Sony Music” with Sound Patrol the lawsuit claims.

“Sound Patrol has not paid a penny to Keller or Felder for his or her work growing the software program or for the patent,” the lawsuit claims.

The duo say they’re owed in extra of $5 million and are looking for damages and the appropriate to the software program patent.

The De Brouwers are tech giants, having based the AI firm Doc.ai in 2016, which was then acquired by digital well being firm Sharecare, in response to the corporate’s web site.  

Walter De Brouwer is listed as a co-founder together with Hollywood mogul Michael Ovitz on the Sound Patrol web site.

“With Michael Ovitz as Co-Founder, SoundPatrol gained direct entry to the worldwide leisure trade, accelerating its deployment throughout music, sports activities, streaming, and past,” the web site says. 

Sound Patrol can be listed within the lawsuit as a defendant.

Each the De Brouwers and Sound Patrol had been contacted for remark by The California Publish.

Keller represents over 70 high singers and songwriters and Felder has bought over 100 million data, the papers say.

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