Dr. Dre & Jimmy Iovine Must Pay $25M To Ex-Partner In Beats Royalties Case

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20222.3K Views

Producers Dr. Dre (L) and Jimmy Iovine arrive at the premiere screening of HBO's 'The Defiant Ones' at Paramount Studios on June 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine lose legal battle in Beats royalties case.

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine have been involved in a legal battle over the royalties of Beats headphones. The two of them were sued in 2016 by a former business partner that claimed he was leftout of $100M worth of royalties. The trial started earlier this month and Dre and Iovine have maintained that they didn't do anything wrong in the case. Unfortunately, the jury did not agree with them and they will have to pay ex-business partner, Steven Lamar, millions.

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine will have to pay Steven Lamar in the Beats Royalties case, TheBlast reports. The jury verdict sheet says Steven Lamar will receive a total of $25,247,350 in damages for the royalties he was owed from versions of Beats headphones. The jury sheet broke down the damages in three parts. Lamar will receive $7,448,838 for Studio 2/Remastered headphones, $14,856,721 for Studio 2 Wireless headphones and an additional $2,941,791 for the Studio 3.

Ahead of the jury's verdict, Dre and Iovine testified in the case and argued that they weren't as involved with the technological aspect of the headphones but were predominantly focused on the aesthetic and marketing of the product.

Steven Lamar previously made an agreement with Dre and Iovine over Beats before Apple's acquisition of the company in 2014. Apple bought Beats for $3B and Lamar felt that he was owed royalties for the products he helped developed.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.