“Cuz I’m a Wanderer. Yea, a Wanderer”…No?
Zenimax Media, the parent company to Bethesda, is being taken to court over music licensing issues. And none other than singer/songwriter Dion DiMucci is filing the lawsuit for use of ‘The Wanderer’ in Fallout 4 ads.
According to the lawsuit, Dion’s music was used without his consent. To add insult to injury, he found the Fallout 4 ads in which it was used to be deplorable. That seems to be his biggest issue, calling them “objectionable because they featured repeated homicides in a dark, dystopian landscape, where violence is glorified as sport. The killings and physical violence were not to protect innocent life, but instead were repugnant and morally indefensible images designed to appeal to young consumers.”
However, information becomes a little foggy when we look at the records of consent. Court documents indicate that DiMucci and UMG Recordings agreed to license the song for use in Fallout 4. The stipulation, however, was that DiMucci could refuse consent if he was dissatisfied by the use. Alternatively, he could renegotiate for a higher fee if the advertisement was not to his liking. Or, if his problem simply lied with ad content, he could tell Zenimax to portray a better story of survival. All in theory.
According to DiMucci, he didn’t even know about the ad until he saw it for himself. And this lawsuit is coming two years after the fact.
Time will tell in which direction this lawsuit as headed. As of yet, there’s been no word from Zenimax, so check back for more news as events unfold. Until then and beyond, be sure to make the most of your Fallout 4 experience.