Judge Dismisses Tiger King’s Copyright Lawsuit Against Musician
The songwriter behind “I Saw a Tiger,” and “Killer Carole,” doesn’t owe Joe Exotic a cent.
Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
A Florida judge dismissed a copyright lawsuit on Wednesday, which was brought by Joe “Exotic” Maldonado, the namesake of the pandemic-era Netflix series Tiger King, according to WFLA. In 2022, the imprisoned wildlife wrangler filed a lawsuit against musician Vince Johnson to the tune of $8 million, alleging that Johnson’s decision to sign away his songs had infringed on Maldonado’s copyright, and violated his confidentiality. In 2020, Johnson signed a deal with BMG to release some of the original songs featured throughout the series, including “I Saw a Tiger,” and “Killer Carole,” but Maldonado’s lawsuit alleged that Johnson had already signed the rights over to him. Maldonado was also seeking a ban on the “unauthorized use” of the songs. Shutts & Bowen LLP, who were representing Johnson pro-bono, said that the copyright claims were dismissed, and a settlement was reached where Johnson wouldn’t have to pay the Tiger King a cent.
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