American Idol’s Taylor Hicks sues over iTunes releases

American Idol winner Taylor Hicks is suing a Nashville music producer to stop the online sales of three songs the singer recorded years ago before his fame. The suit, which seeks compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $75,000, was filed after music producer William Smith released the songs through the iTunes Music Store despite having no apparent ownership rights. MTV News reports: “Hicks’ lawyers were first made aware of the situation by Smith himself, the suit claims. Smith contacted the attorneys, stating his intention to release the tracks. They responded by seeking a preliminary injunction barring Smith from selling the songs. The lawsuit maintains that Smith made no attempt to pull them from the iTunes store. Last week, both sides entered into a settlement—the terms of which are not outlined in the suit. Soon after, Smith once again e-mailed Hicks’ counsel, stating that he would be releasing ‘The Fall’ for digital download, and would make the other two tracks available as well.”