Saying that their copyrights to more than 1,000 songs were violated when they were played on the show without their permission, The Associated Press reported.
The suit was filed Wednesday in United States District Court in Nashville by labels that include Atlantic, Capitol, Motown, Sony and Warner Brothers.
The labels say in the suit that in a recurring segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where the host dances to her interview desk, Ms. DeGeneres has used recordings by virtually every major current artist of popular music without permission, including Michael Jacksons “Thriller"; the Beach Boys “Good Vibrations" and Will Smiths “Gettin Jiggy Wit It".
In a statement, a spokesman for Telepictures Productions, which produces The Ellen DeGeneres Show, said that the studio has been working with the record labels for months to resolve the dispute on amicable and reasonable terms, according to The A.P. On Wednesday, it was announced that Ms. DeGeneres would become a judge on American Idol, the Fox reality competition, next year.
