Le Tigre’s Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman Sue Over “Deceptacon” Copyright Infringement Accusation
Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman have filed a civil suit suit related to disputed copyright infringement with their 1999 Le Tigre song “Deceptacon.” They filed it in the Southern District of New York on Friday (October 8), countering cease-and-desist letters from singer-songwriter Barry Mann alleging that “Deceptacon” infringes upon the 1961 single “Who Put the Bomp (Bomp, Bomp, Bomp).”
The complaint, viewed by Pitchfork, argues that Mann and co-writer Gerry Goffin (who died in 2014) have no copyright claim because “Bomp” was not a wholly original work in the first place:
Beyond that, the suit maintains that Le Tigre’s twists on “Bomp” qualify as fair use because the lyrics have “a new meaning that is directly at odds with and a clear criticism of the message in ‘Bomp.’” Pitchfork has contacted Mann’s and Le Tigre’s representatives for comment.