Gospel Singers Sue Jay Z, Dr. Dre and Rick Ross

Read the article here:
Courthouse News Service

Seems to me the crux of the situation is this:

“None of the defendants contacted either of the plaintiffs to ask for permission to use plaintiffs’ song (lyrics or music) for the 3 Kings song.
     “Neither of the plaintiffs has ever filed any type of written document with the U.S. Copyright Office transferring any of their rights to any of the defendants or defendants’ predecessors.”

I am not an attorney, and so I am not going to practice law without a license, but I can tell you that using gospel songs without appropriate credit or compensation has been happening for some time.  Gospel artists and songwriters must be vigilant about protecting their intellectual property, whether misused in the secular or sacred music industries, because it happens in both.