Dua Lipa has successfully defended her hit "Levitating" in a copyright lawsuit filed by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, who alleged that her song copied elements from their 1979 track "Wiggle and Giggle All Night" and another from 1980 titled "Don Diablo." On Thursday, Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled in favor of Lipa, stating that the songs only shared non-copyrightable generic similarities that have been used by various artists throughout history, including Mozart and the Bee Gees.
This is not the first time Lipa has faced accusations regarding "Levitating." In 2022, the Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System claimed that the chorus of "Levitating" was lifted from their 2015 song, "Live Your Life." However, that case was also dismissed by the courts earlier this year due to a lack of evidence demonstrating that Lipa and her co-writers had access to the original song, a critical element in copyright infringement cases.
Currently, Lipa is addressing another legal challenge from Bosko Kante, a featured artist on "Levitating," who claims his vocal contributions were used in unauthorized remixes of the song. Kante is seeking at least $2 million in damages and a share of the profits from those remixes, estimated to exceed $20 million.
Interestingly, the ruling coincided with the fifth anniversary of "Levitating's" release as part of Lipa's acclaimed album "Future Nostalgia." Despite the ruling in favor of Lipa, lawyers Brown and Linzer intend to appeal, stating their disagreement with the court's decision. The BBC has reached out to Dua Lipa's representatives for comment on the matter.
This is not the first time Lipa has faced accusations regarding "Levitating." In 2022, the Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System claimed that the chorus of "Levitating" was lifted from their 2015 song, "Live Your Life." However, that case was also dismissed by the courts earlier this year due to a lack of evidence demonstrating that Lipa and her co-writers had access to the original song, a critical element in copyright infringement cases.
Currently, Lipa is addressing another legal challenge from Bosko Kante, a featured artist on "Levitating," who claims his vocal contributions were used in unauthorized remixes of the song. Kante is seeking at least $2 million in damages and a share of the profits from those remixes, estimated to exceed $20 million.
Interestingly, the ruling coincided with the fifth anniversary of "Levitating's" release as part of Lipa's acclaimed album "Future Nostalgia." Despite the ruling in favor of Lipa, lawyers Brown and Linzer intend to appeal, stating their disagreement with the court's decision. The BBC has reached out to Dua Lipa's representatives for comment on the matter.
