Watch CBS News

Poet Files Copyright Lawsuit Against Insane Clown Posse

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - An Ohio man claims Detroit rap-metal group Insane Clown Posse — specifically, member Joseph Bruce — used a poem he wrote without his consent.

Stanley Gebhardt filed the copyright infringement lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Detroit.

It seeks monetary damages and asks a judge to force Bruce and the group to stop using Gebhardt's "But You Didn't."

The suit says the poem, about a father-son relationship, was copyrighted in 1993.

Gebhardt's attorney, Michael Dezsi, told the Detroit Free Press his client learned in 2015 that a video of Bruce reciting the poem had been posted on YouTube. Bruce, who goes by the stage name Violent J, called it "Violent J's Poem."

The words are, in part:

"Everybody just listen to me. I looked at you and smiled the other day; I thought you'd see me, but you didn't. I said I love you, and waited for what you'd say; I thought you'd hear me, but you didn't.

"I asked you to come outside and play ball with me; I thought you'd follow me, but you didn't. I drew a picture just for you to see; I thought you'd save it forever, but you didn't."

Attorney Howard Hertz, who represents ICP, did not immedaily respond to a request from the Associated Press Thursday for comment.

© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.