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3lau close to reaching settlement on lawsuit over NFT auction
By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 24 March 2023
DJ and producer 3lau – real name Justin Blau – is close to settling a lawsuit with former collaborator Luna Aura over the earnings from an NFT auction of his album ‘Ultraviolet’. It specifically relates to a song the two collaborators worked on together for the album, ‘Walk Away’.
The producer’s NFT auction, which coincided with the third anniversary of the record, offered buyers various products and perks, all linked to his 2018 record, and some specifically to ‘Walk Away’.
In her lawsuit Aura – real name Angela Anne Flores – said that, while Blau owns the copyright in the recording of ‘Walk Away’, she has a 30% stake in the song copyright, and was also due a 50% artist royalty under contract from the exploitation of the recording.
She then claimed that Blau did not properly license the inclusion of ‘Walk Away’ in his NFT release and, rather than paying a proper royalty, offered her a standalone payment of $25,000. The lawsuit did not stipulate how much she believed she was actually due from the auction.
Blau denied Aura’s accusations, with him and his manager saying in a statement at the time that they would “vigorously defend the lawsuit”. However, now, according to Billboard, both sides have tentatively agreed a settlement.
Neither side has commented on the reports of the settlement, and no details of what might have been agreed have been confirmed. If the settlement is not finalised within 30 days, the case could still continue.
