Silver medal-winning US pairs figure skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier are sued for performing to House of the Rising Sun by Heavy Young Heathens
- U.S. figure skating duo Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier are being sued for skating to a song at the 2022 Beijing Olympics without the musicians permission
- The music group Heavy Young Heathens, which consists of brothers Robert and Aron Marderosian, filed the suit over their song House of the Rising Sun
- Both U.S. Figure Skating and NBC have also been listed as defendants in the suit
- The song, per court documents, is a ‘very valuable licensing asset’ for the Marderosian brothers who are looking to recoup any alleged financial losses
- Skaters’ routine which included the song helped the pair win a silver medal for the team skating competition
Brothers Robert and Aron Marderosian, professionally known as Heavy Young Heathens, have filed a lawsuit saying NBC, U.S. Figure Skating, and figure skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier violated their copyrights by using their version of House of the Rising Sun at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The brothers said Knierim and Frazier skated to their version of the traditional folk song, used in a trailer for the 2016 film The Magnificent Seven and a commercial for Ford Motor Co, without their permission.
They also accuse NBC of copyright infringement by broadcasting it.
U.S. figure skating duo Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier are being sued for skating to a song at the 2022 Beijing Olympics without the musicians permission
The music group Heavy Young Heathens, which consists of brothers Robert and Aron Marderosian, filed the suit over their song House of the Rising Sun
Both U.S. Figure Skating and NBC have also been listed as defendants in the suit
The skaters used the song in their short program earlier this month, in a performance that contributed to the U.S.’ silver medal in the team figure skating event.
Heavy Young Heathens’ music has appeared in TV shows including The Simpsons, ads for Starbucks, and trailers for movies like Deadpool, according to the lawsuit.
They have previously accused several other companies of misusing their work, including allegations against Fox Sports, Discovery Inc, Monster Energy, and Warner Brothers in lawsuits that later settled.
Skaters’ routine which included the song helped the pair win a silver medal for the team skating competition
The musicians’ attorney (and also father) Mick Marderosian of Marderosian & Cohen said the skaters’ agent ‘basically refused to listen to our issue.’
Marderosian also claims NBC has since removed posts promoting the performance.
The lawsuit said the House of the Rising Sun is a ‘very valuable licensing asset’ for Heavy Young Heathens, and asked the court for money damages, and to block any future infringement by the defendants.
‘These violations cause great harm to the value of [the Marderosians] command for such a well known piece of their recording catalog, and insults the integrity of their professional reputation. While [the defendants] are all profiting from the revenue the 2022 Winter Olympics generate, [the Marderosians] have been and continue to be deprived of what their creation ‘House of the Rising Sun’ earns them per license,’ the lawsuit reads.
NBC, U.S. Figure Skating, and the skaters’ agent, David Baden of IMG, have not yet responded to a request for comment.
Knierim and Frazier finished with a score of 74.23 in their short program, just one tenth of a point ahead of Team USA pair Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc.
China’s Wenjing Su and Cong Han set a short-program record with their score of 84.41.
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the United States are pictured during the figure skating in action during the Beijing Olympics in which they secured a silver medal
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