Jermaine Dupri & Jacquees Hit With $150K Copyright Lawsuit

A 1992 Rap record is now at the center of a federal copyright fight involving Jermaine Dupri and Jacquees. The Home Team members Van and Patrick Watler claim the pair copied protected elements of their song “Pick It Up” for a newer track with the same title without permission or compensation.

The brothers filed their complaint Sept. 21 in the Southern District of Florida, where the case is listed as Watler et al v. Mauldin et al. Mass Appeal Media, which released the newer song, is also named as a defendant. According to AllHipHop, the Watlers allege that lyrics and musical elements from their original composition were used without giving them writer credit.

Home Team released its “Pick It Up” through Luke Records in 1992 on Via Satellite from Saturn. Dupri and Jacquees later released their own “Pick It Up” through Mass Appeal in 2023. Streaming listings confirm the newer record appeared that year, though the lawsuit will have to establish whether any legally protected expression was actually copied rather than simply showing similarities between the two songs.

The Watlers are seeking more than $150,000 in damages. They also want recognition as writers and a share of publishing revenue generated by the newer song, according to the complaint as described by AllHipHop.

Their filing claims the defendants earned substantial money from the 2023 release and asks for an accounting of that income. The brothers are also seeking an order that would prevent further exploitation of the disputed work if they prevail. Neither Dupri nor Jacquees appears to have publicly responded to the allegations. The case remains pending, and no court has determined that the 2023 song infringed Home Team’s copyright.