Photo Credit: Milk & Honey
Musician Warren “Oak” Felder and veteran manager Lucas Keller are suing tech entrepreneurs the De Brouwers over allegedly stolen AI music software.
Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Warren “Oak” Felder and music management mogul Lucas Keller of Milk & Honey have filed a $5 million lawsuit against Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs Wanter and Samia De Brouwer. The filing alleges that they were swindled by the couple, who they say stole their AI software assets and repackaged them in an elaborate scheme.
In 2023, the plaintiffs allegedly collaborated with the De Brouwers to build AI music software featuring a proprietary “copyright checker” tool designed to detect copyrighted chords. In exchange for developing the software and transferring the patent, Felder and Keller were each awarded 345,000 shares in the De Brouwers’ company, Snowcrash, set to vest through 2028.
However, the lawsuit claims the De Brouwers secretly created a new entity, Sound Patrol, and transferred Snowcrash’s key assets and software patents to it—essentially rendering the plaintiffs’ Snowcrash stock options worthless. Further, they allegedly then licensed the new product to major labels, including Universal Music Group and Sony Entertainment—with no money going back to Keller or Felder.
“Unscrupulous Silicon Valley scammers Walter and Samia De Brouwer put money before morals, exploiting the ideas and labor of a prolific songwriter and music producer,” the filing states. “Sound Patrol has not paid a penny to Keller or Felder for their work developing the software or for the patent.”
The De Brouwers are noted tech giants, and founded the AI company Doc.ai in 2016. It was then acquired by the digital health company Sharecare.
Walter De Brouwer is listed as Co-Founder on the Sound Patrol website, alongside Hollywood mogul Michael Ovitz—something the lawsuit notes is very intentional.
“With Michael Ovitz as Co-Founder, Sound Patrol gained direct access to the global entertainment industry, accelerating its deployment across music, sports, streaming, and beyond,” the website reads.
“Oak” Felder has written songs for the likes of Britney Spears and Mariah Carey, and has sold over 100 million records. As the Founder and President of Milk & Honey Music + Sports, Keller represents 70-plus top songwriters, producers, and DJs, as well as over 35 athletes in the NFL.
Milk & Honey recently launched their fifth music publishing company, a record label, and have done over $300 million in catalog sales transactions for management clients.