Katy Perry Wins! Federal Judge Overturns ‘Dark Horse’ Copyright Infringement Verdict

Despite losing a $2.78 million lawsuit for copyright infringement last summer (as we reported here), a recent overturning of that judgment now sees Pop star Katy Perry riding her ‘Dark Horse’ for a victory lap.

Details inside:

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Report:

“A federal judge in Los Angeles handed a major victory to Katy Perry on Tuesday (March 17), overturning a jury’s verdict that found the pop superstar and her collaborators copied her 2013 hit “Dark Horse” from a 2009 Christian rap song.

U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder said in her decision that the disputed section of the rap song, “Joyful Noise” by rapper Marcus Gray was not distinctive enough to be protected by copyright as the jury found.”

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The win certainly comes as a sigh of relief for Perry (who was personally responsible for $550,000 of the $2.78 million once granted to the plaintiffs).  Gray’s lawyers have indicated the fight is far from over, however.

“When the jurors returned a unanimous verdict of infringement, I cautioned my clients that we had only finished Round 11 of a 15-round match and that the next round would take place in the court of appeals,” Gray’s attorney Michael A. Kahn said in an email to the Associated Press, referencing the numerous pre-trial rulings in his client’s favor. “We believe the [previous] jury was right and will do our best to restore their verdict on appeal.”