Mark Ronson has been sued for alleged copyright infringement over his hit 2014 song Uptown Funk.
Lastrada Entertainment, which owns the rights to the Roger and Zapp 1980 funk classic More Bounce To The Ounce, filed the lawsuit against the English producer claiming Uptown Funk copied the song, according to an article Tuesday by TMZ.
The lawsuit alleged that Uptown Funk featuring Bruno Mars on vocals copied the first 48 seconds of More Bounce To The Ounce.
English producer: Mark Ronson, shown in July in Los Angeles, has been sued for alleged copyright infringement over his hit 2014 song Uptown Funk
Lastrada Entertainment in court documents noted that Ronson, 42, previously has cited Roger and Zapp as influences.
Roger, real name Roger Troutman, was a founding member of the funk band Zapp along with his brothers Larry, Lester and Terry. He died in April 199 at age 47.
More Ounce To The Bounce was the eponymous opening song of the group’s debut album and peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The song has been widely sampled by some of the biggest artists in rap history including Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Notorious BIG, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Eazy-E.
Funk legend: Roger Troutma from Zapp is shown performing in Chicago in 1982
Uptown Funk was recorded for Ronson’s 2015 fourth studio album Uptown Special.
The song spent 14 straight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won two Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.
Lastrada Entertainment was suing Ronson, Sony, Spotify, Apple and several producers.
Hit song: Ronson, shown in March in Hong Kong, won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year for Uptown Funk
The lawsuit was seeking a ban on future plays and sales of Uptown Funk plus unspecified damages.
Bruno Mars, real name Peter Gene Hernandez, was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Uptown Special fueled by its single Uptown Funk was Ronson’s first number one on the UK Albums Chart and debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200.
Popular song: Bruno Mars, shown performing in June in Los Angeles, lent his vocals to Uptown Funk