Swift shakes off copyright lawsuit
Taylor Swift's song about players playing and haters hating doesn't infringe on an earlier work addressing the same catchy behavior, a California federal judge ruled Tuesday.
The songwriters behind 3LW's 2001 hit “Playas Gon' Play” sued Swift in September, claiming “Shake It Off” infringes on their lyrics. At the time, a rep for the superstar said the complaint was nothing more than a ridiculous money grab.
US District Judge Michael Fitzgerald granted Swift's motion to dismiss the suit but is giving plaintiffs Sean Hall and Nathan Butler one shot to amend their complaint by February 26.
There's no dispute over whether Hall and Butler owned their lyrics, or that Swift's team had access to the song. There's also no allegation of copying the underlying musical composition. So Fitzgerald's analysis centers on whether there is substantial similarity between protectable lyrics.
Fitzgerald seems unconvinced Hall and Butler will be able to change his mind in the future, but he's allowing them to amend their complaint in case they intend to allege other similarities between the two works.
Source: Variety
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