Logo

AP, TVWeek

Court Puts a Price on Katy Perry’s Plagiarism

Aug 2, 2019  •  Post A Comment

After finding that pop singer Katy Perry plagiarized one of her hit songs, a court has settled on a price for the offense. Perry, along with her collaborators and her record label must pay more than $2.78 million, the AP reports.

The ruling Thursday by a federal jury comes in a legal case that determined Perry’s 2013 hit “Dark Horse” copied a 2009 Christian rap song.

“It was an underdog victory for rapper Marcus Gray, a relatively obscure artist once known as Flame, whose 5-year-old lawsuit survived constant court challenges and a trial against top-flight attorneys for Perry and the five other music-industry heavyweights who wrote her song,” the AP reports. “The amount fell well short of the nearly $20 million sought by attorneys for Gray and the two co-writers of ‘Joyful Noise’ — Emanuel Lambert and Chike Ojukwu — but they said they were pleased.”

Michael A. Kahn, Gray’s attorney, is quoted saying: “We weren’t here seeking to punish anyone. Our clients came here seeking justice, and they feel they received justice from a jury of their peers.”

The report adds: “Perry herself was hit for just over $550,000, with Capitol Records responsible for the biggest part of the award — $1.2 million. Defense attorneys had argued for an overall award of about $360,000.”

Perry’s legal team indicated it will fight the decision.

You can hear a comparison of the two songs by clicking here.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)