Dua Lipa has emerged victorious in a copyright lawsuit concerning her hit single "Levitating." The case was initiated in 2022 by songwriters L Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, who alleged that Lipa copied elements from their 1979 disco track "Wiggle and Giggle All Night" as well as a 1980 song titled "Don Diablo."
On Thursday, US Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed the lawsuit, stating that the similarities between the songs were generic and included musical elements not protected by copyright, which have been used by notable composers such as Mozart and artists like Gilbert and Sullivan, and even the Bee Gees in their iconic song "Stayin' Alive."
This victory marks the second time Lipa has successfully defended "Levitating" against plagiarism claims. Previously, the Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System accused her of lifting the chorus from their 2015 song "Live Your Life." However, their lawsuit was dismissed in 2023 when the court found no evidence that Lipa and her co-writers had access to the earlier work.
Despite these victories, Lipa is still facing a separate lawsuit from Bosko Kante, a featured artist on "Levitating." Kante claims his contributions were used in remixes without permission and is pursuing $2 million in damages plus profits, estimated at around $20 million from the remixes.
The original lawsuit from Brown and Linzer contended that Lipa's melody was a "duplicate" of their works. However, Judge Failla asserted that the musical elements were too commonplace to warrant legal protection, emphasizing that restricting the evolution of music within the genre would be detrimental.
Interestingly, the ruling aligns with the five-year anniversary of "Levitating" since its initial release on Lipa's acclaimed album "Future Nostalgia." Following the judgment, lawyers for Brown and Linzer expressed their intent to appeal, indicating that the legal discourse surrounding these matters is far from settled.
The BBC has reached out to Dua Lipa for any comments regarding the ruling.
On Thursday, US Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed the lawsuit, stating that the similarities between the songs were generic and included musical elements not protected by copyright, which have been used by notable composers such as Mozart and artists like Gilbert and Sullivan, and even the Bee Gees in their iconic song "Stayin' Alive."
This victory marks the second time Lipa has successfully defended "Levitating" against plagiarism claims. Previously, the Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System accused her of lifting the chorus from their 2015 song "Live Your Life." However, their lawsuit was dismissed in 2023 when the court found no evidence that Lipa and her co-writers had access to the earlier work.
Despite these victories, Lipa is still facing a separate lawsuit from Bosko Kante, a featured artist on "Levitating." Kante claims his contributions were used in remixes without permission and is pursuing $2 million in damages plus profits, estimated at around $20 million from the remixes.
The original lawsuit from Brown and Linzer contended that Lipa's melody was a "duplicate" of their works. However, Judge Failla asserted that the musical elements were too commonplace to warrant legal protection, emphasizing that restricting the evolution of music within the genre would be detrimental.
Interestingly, the ruling aligns with the five-year anniversary of "Levitating" since its initial release on Lipa's acclaimed album "Future Nostalgia." Following the judgment, lawyers for Brown and Linzer expressed their intent to appeal, indicating that the legal discourse surrounding these matters is far from settled.
The BBC has reached out to Dua Lipa for any comments regarding the ruling.
