Raynard J. was an Italo-disco project formed by songwriters and producers Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino. In 1983, they released a single titled Takin' Me To Paradise, featuring session vocalist Jay Rolandi. The project garnered international attention and notoriety when it sued Prince for alleged plagiarism regarding his 1994 song The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. After extensive legal battles, the duo emerged victorious in 2018, when the Supreme Court of Cassation, Italy's highest court, ruled in their favor. In 2021, Bergonzi and Vicino entered into a long-term settlement agreement with The Prince Estate, though the details of this agreement remain undisclosed.
Accusing Prince of plagiarism was a rare occurrence, given his prolific catalog of over 1,500 songs and his reputation for meticulous attention to detail, even in minor aspects of his work. For instance, in 1984, Prince preemptively contacted Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist of Journey, to seek approval for a section of his song that he believed bore resemblance to Journey's work. The only other widely reported case of plagiarism against Prince was brought by James M. Brandon, who filed a lawsuit in 2015, claiming that a song from Spike Lee's 1996 film plagiarized his 1994 demo track. This case was ultimately dismissed in February 2019.
Timeline
1995: Bergonzi and Vicino, represented by Edizioni Chappell S.r.l., filed a lawsuit in the Court of Rome against Prince Rogers Nelson, his US publisher Controversy Music, and its Italian representatives, Edizioni Fortissimo, seeking to establish plagiarism and demand "moral damages."
30th January 2003: After eight years, the judge reviewed the case and dismissed Vicino and Bergonzi's claims, prompting an appeal from Warner/Chappell Italy and the producers.
December 2007: The Court of Appeal in Rome overturned the previous decision, ruling in favor of Bergonzi and Vicino and confirming that a portion of Prince's song had indeed plagiarized their work. The ruling, published in February 2008, restricted the reproduction and distribution of The Most Beautiful Girl in Italy and awarded Warner/Chappell over €956,000 in damages, although the court denied claims for moral compensation. Both parties subsequently appealed the ruling to the Italian Supreme Court.
29th May 2015: The Supreme Court of Cassation dismissed Prince's appeal, making the monetary damages judgment final and partially satisfying the composers' appeal, which sent the case back to the Appellate Court to determine compensation for their "moral sufferings." In March 2021, additional damages of over €166,670 were later awarded. Prince passed away in April 2016 at the age of 57.
July 2016: In an interview with Billboard, Bergonzi confirmed that both composers began receiving royalty payments from SIAE. He noted that while Takin' Me To Paradise was not a major hit, it had appeared on various Italo-disco compilations and had been remixed and sampled over the years. In 2017, when The Prince Estate began re-releasing Prince's album catalog, the album containing the disputed song was notably excluded.
3rd July 2018: The Court of Appeals in Rome ruled in favor of Bergonzi and Vicino, upholding restrictions on distribution by The Prince Estate and Controversy Music, and ordering both parties to pay non-monetary damages of "current €40,000" each, subject to annual revaluation and interest. The territorial scope of the ruling remained contested, with The Prince Estate appealing for regional limitations while Warner/Chappell sought worldwide enforcement.
25th January 2021: The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal on procedural grounds, leaving the scope of the injunction unresolved. Following months of negotiations, the Italian composers and The Prince Estate ultimately reached an out-of-court settlement, confirmed by the District Court of Minnesota in April 2021. In February 2022, The Most Beautiful Girl In The World was restored on all streaming platforms, and in June 2022, The Gold Experience 2×LP/CD was re-released worldwide in conjunction with Record Store Day.
