Sega has been sued by Crush 40 band member Johnny Gioeli over the Live and Learn theme song from Sega Adventure 2. The lawsuit filed on December 5, 2024, claims that Sega is in breach of contract of the theme song that the band created, due to which Gioeli is seeking compensation as well as a court order to determine who actually owns the rights to the song.
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While the song was originally created for the 2001 title, Gioeli says that he was made aware of its use in other games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 4, and Yakuza 4 and 5 (thanks, Game Developer). It even featured in Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise.
Sonic Adventure 2 Theme Song Creator Is Suing Sega
The court documents go on to say that Live and Learn could be owned by both parties, but if that is the case, then Sega’s share should only be limited to the lyrics of the theme song.
“Without a direct claim for authorship of the master, no control or direct involvement in the process of creating the final master recording, and no clear written transfer of the master, [Sega] has no basis to claim sole ownership of the copyright in this sound recording,” the suit reads. It further cited a prior statement from a Sega attorney which noted the song’s rights are Gioeli’s “and not Sega’s, and we have no rights to these materials.”
It seems in an earlier filing a letter from Sega’s legal team referred to the song as a joint piece of work, but Gioeli claims that the company has still not agreed to give him half of the profits.
Recently, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka said that he would “love” to make Sonic Adventure 3. When asked about a third game in the series, Iizuka replied, “I think at some time I’d like to say ‘Hey, yeah, we’re making Adventure 3’, but we don’t have plans for that yet. It’s just one of those things that, if the stars align and it can all happen, then yeah, we’d love to make it.”
