Logan Paul has accused Oliver Tree’s record label of making a controversial copyright move days after the artist’s death in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro.
Paul hosts the Impaulsive podcast, and Tree joined him for an episode released in March 2022. Oliver Tree was a singer-songwriter known for tracks like “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” and had been signed to Atlantic Records since 2017 before splitting from the company in April 2026.
During that podcast conversation, Paul and co-host Mike Majlak played one of Tree’s then-new tracks. Before hitting play from YouTube on his phone, Paul paused to check whether using the song would create any copyright issues for the show.
“If I play this you’re not going to hit me with some sort of copyright?”
Tree reassured him there would not be a problem and said he would handle it. Paul responded by expressing skepticism about labels following through, while Tree insisted he would have the podcast channel approved.
In this context, whitelisting means giving a specific channel or piece of content permission to use copyrighted material without it being automatically flagged or claimed by rights-management systems.
“You have my promise,” the singer added before shaking Logan’s hand.
According to Paul, that agreement held up without any issues for years. However, he now claims things changed after Tree died in a helicopter crash in Brazil on June 14, 2026. Oliver Tree was 32 years old. The crash involved two helicopters colliding over Rio de Janeiro’s western zone, killing six people total.
Speaking on Nick Nayersina’s livestream, Paul alleged that Tree’s label later placed a copyright claim on the podcast episode containing the song, despite the artist’s earlier promise.
Paul said: “When Oliver was on my podcast, I asked him if I could use his song. He said, ‘Yeah.’ I asked, ‘Is your label going to claim the song? You would need to whitelist the channel.’ He said, ‘Yeah, we’ll whitelist the channel’.”
Warning: video contains strong language
He continued: “Four years passed. Within two days, I’m not kidding, within two days of him passing, his label claimed that podcast [episode]. How f**ked is that?
“[…] Within 48 hours the first thing that came to your mind is to go back and retroactively claim the f**king podcast? What the f**k?”
Logan Paul reveals Oliver Tree's label copyright claimed his podcast two days after Oliver passed away
“When Oliver was on my podcast, I asked him if I could use his song. He said, ‘Yeah.’ I asked, ‘Is your label going to claim the song? You would need to whitelist the channel.’… pic.twitter.com/DzS4BJpbNc
— Jack (@Jackkk) August 2, 2026
His claims have since sparked debate online, with some people describing the alleged timing of the label’s action as insensitive.
Somebody said: “If that’s exactly how it happened, the timing is incredibly tone deaf. Honoring the artist’s wishes should’ve come before chasing a copyright claim.”
“Music labels are ruthless. They’re struggling to survive. At least the major ones,” said another.
“If he really gave permission, the whole situation deserves a much closer look,” suggested a third.
Others, however, accused Paul of bringing up the issue to generate more attention for his podcast, especially the older episode featuring Tree.
Representatives for Logan Paul and Atlantic Records have been contacted for comment.