The writer of the infamous Sonic Adventure 2 song “Live and Learn” is suing Sega, claiming he owns partial rights to the song, and alleging the company is using the song without his permission and making money from the past 20. year
In a lawsuit first spotted by Polygon and also seen by IGN, Live and Learn writer and performer John Gioli claims that he has held his songwriting registration for the song for more than 20 years since he first wrote and recorded it for Sonic Adventure 2. However. , he said that Sega was falsely claiming that it was the true owner of the songs and acting as such, including that the licensed songs were used in “at least 25 video games, television shows, live Performances/Events and Films.”
Specifically, Zeoli’s lawsuit claims that Sega based its ownership of Live and Learn Off on “a 2001 lyric contract in which Zeoli was paid $3000 to write lyrics for an as-yet-untitled song that would be included in Sonic Adventure 2.” He did so in his home studio, allegedly with Sega’s direct involvement, using his own equipment and his own voice. He worked over the phone with Sega composer Jun Senoi, with Senoi initially sending him a music demo for which Gioli was to write lyrics. But the lawsuit claims that Gioli’s scope of work expanded during his tenure at Live & Learn without amending the initial contract, which was for songs only. Allegedly, Gioli revised the song significantly, communicating the changes to Senoy over the phone.
As a result, Gioli says that Sega claims that it owns both the recording and the musical composition, but argues that this is not actually the case and that there is no such agreement. And Gioli claims that Sega has admitted in the past that the composition is “probably jointly owned”, with a Sega lawyer at one point telling Gioli that he was entitled to 50% of the profits from its use.
Gioli alleges that Sega has been using Live and Learn with regularity in several other formats for the past 20 years, somehow unaware of it. Despite Gioli working closely with the company on a number of songs throughout this period, all of which were signed to very specific agreements about who owned what. According to the suit, he only learned of its myriad uses through a fan and has since identified 25 video games in which it exists. These include multiple Yakuza and Sonic games, Super Smash Bros., Phantasy Star Online, the Maimai series, and Monster Hunter Rise). Notably, Gioeli was involved in the inclusion of music for the recent movie Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (which we just reviewed), and even signed a deal with Paramount for music placement.
Gioli is seeking a court ruling on the ownership of Live & Learn as well as what he owes and damages for breaching the 2001 Lyric contract.
Rebecca Valentine is a senior reporter at IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send to rvalentine@ign.com.
