The writer of iconic Sonic Adventure 2 song ‘Live and Learn’ is suing Sega, alleging the track has been used in multiple games and media projects without his necessary permission or compensation. As surfaced by Polygon, Johnny Gioeli claims he is the owner of the “master recording and composition” of the song, which was developed with Sega composer, Jun Senoue.
Gioeli has alleged he was paid USD $3,000 to write the lyrics only, but as the scope of the work changed, he became responsible for a variety of changes to the composition. Per the lawsuit, Gioeli “controlled and oversaw the recording process, produced the recording, directed the arrangement and of the song, directed the recording progress for other musicians, and recorded and performed the vocals.”
Gioeli has reportedly “maintained and registered” the song over the last two decades, with the help of licensing agency BMI. As noted by Polygon, the U.S. Copyright Office maintains Gioeli owns the song, as registered in 2024.
Notably, Paramount Pictures licensed the song for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 via Gioeli – an act which may legitimise his claims of ownership. That said, Polygon notes his lawsuit appears to be unrelated to this licensing.
Read: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 greenlit at Paramount
In the lawsuit, Gioeli has flagged multiple uses of ‘Live and Learn’ by Sega, with it appearing in a range of games and other projects. Gioeli was apparently not aware of these uses, and was also not compensated by Sega for them. He has asked the court to determine who owns the master record of ‘Live and Learn’ and then have Sega adequately compensate him for the song’s historic use, should he be the rightful owner.
“I have no comment other than my desire to maintain the preservation of a long standing beautiful relationship with Sega,” Gioeli told Polygon. “I do not want fans to draw conclusions or be disrupted from the beautiful memories we have made collectively with this music. I believe and hope we will come to a peaceful settlement that will be fair and just.”
As noted by Polygon, a seperate lawyer had recently told Gioeli that the song was a “joint work” that made him entitled to “50% of Sega’s profits from the joint work” but the copyright regarding the actual master recording is more complex, due to the contributions of Sega and how the song was created. Gioeli hopes to determine ownership in a definitive sense with this lawsuit, and claim any unpaid royalties if his claim is proven.
