Home Team duo sues Jermaine Dupri and Jacquees over ‘Pick It Up’
Van J. Watler and Patrick Watler, who recorded together as the 1990s duo Home Team, have sued producer Jermaine Dupri and singer Jacquees for copyright infringement, the legal claim that protected work was used without permission. At issue is the 2023 single “Pick It Up”, credited to Dupri featuring Jacquees, which they say copies their own song of the same name.
The complaint was filed on September 21 in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami as case number 1:26-cv-26546, according to the filing reported by Music Business Worldwide. The Watlers are represented by Andrew Williams of The Williams Law Group in Miami. The suit also names Mass Appeal Media, owner of Mass Appeal Records, which released the 2023 track.
The older song dates back more than three decades. The complaint states that Home Team’s “Pick It Up” was released on or around July 3, 1992. It was the opening track on the duo’s debut album, Via Satellite from Saturn, released through Luke Records, with Luther Campbell credited as executive producer.
The newer song arrived much later. Dupri and Jacquees released their “Pick It Up” through Mass Appeal on or around September 22, 2023. It was Dupri’s first release for the label.
The allegation is direct. The plaintiffs claim the 2023 recording copies the lyrics and melody of the 1992 song. That remains an allegation at this stage. No court finding has been made.
What the Watlers are seeking is set out in the complaint. They ask for more than $150,000 in general damages and more than $150,000 in special damages, the latter meaning specific financial losses said to flow from the alleged infringement.
They also ask for changes to how the 2023 song is credited and paid for. That includes writer credit and publishing percentages, the shares of songwriting ownership that decide who gets royalties, plus a full accounting of earnings from the track. They further ask the court for an order stopping Mass Appeal from selling it.
