Sonic Adventure 2 Songwriter Sues SEGA for Copyright Infringement

Musician Johnny Gioeli, the author of the iconic track Live and Learn, has filed a lawsuit against the studio, accusing it of illegally using his work.

The story began back in 2001, when SEGA paid Gioeli $3,000 to write lyrics for the song. But the author claimed that in addition to the lyrics, he had to create a full version of the track, the rights to which he retained for himself. SEGA, according to him, received the rights only to the lyrics, but not to the music and the final recording.

Despite this, the company has been actively using the song in its games, advertising materials, exhibitions and shows for over 20 years. At the same time, Gioeli did not receive any payments or approvals. Only in 2024 did the musician officially register his rights to the track, which allowed him to go to court.

Interestingly, other companies, such as Paramount, do business with Gioeli directly. For the film Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the studio acquired the rights to Live and Learn directly from the author, and not from SEGA.