Katy Perry Loses Copyright Case Against Christian Rapper Flame
After a trial lasting seven days, the jury of six women and three men have found Katy Perry liable for copying the underlying beat of Marcus Gray's 2008 Christian rap song "Joyful Noise" for her hit single "Dark Horse." Also found liable were Perry's "Dark Horse" collaborators Lukasz Gottwald(Dr. Luke), Karl Martin Sandberg (Max Martin), Henry Walter (Cirkut), songwriter Sarah Hudson and Jordan Michael Houston (Juicy J), as well as Capitol Records, Warner Bros. Music Corporation, Kobalt Publishing and Kasz Money Inc.
"Dark Horse," a hybrid of pop, trap and hip-hop sounds that was the third single of Perry's 2013 album "Prism," spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in early 2014. Meanwhile, Gaye, who is better known as the Flame, recorded "Joyful Noise" in 2008. Though "Joyful Noise" received little mainstream success, it was popular among Christian audiences (it had nearly 5 million views combined on YouTube and MySpace, and the album on which it appeared, Our World Redeemed, was nominated for a Grammy).
Gray's lawyers argued that the beat and instrumental line featured through nearly half of Dark Horse are substantially similar to those of Joyful Noise. Meanwhile, Perry's lawyers argued that the song sections in question represent the kind of simple musical elements that if found to be subject to copyright would hurt music and all songwriters.
Perry and the song's co-authors, including her producer Dr Luke, testified during the seven-day trial that none of them had heard the song or heard of Gray before the lawsuit, nor did they listen to Christian music.
However, this was countered by the plaintiffs that Perry was a Christian pop singer in the early 2000s and her background as the child of two pastors -- the implication being that she may have been more predisposed to have come across "Joyful Noise" because of her history. But Perry testified that she was "mostly always listening to ... secular music anyway," even during the Christian-pop phase of her career.
Tags : katy perry katy perry news Flame marcus gray katy perry dark horse katy perry copyright the flame joyful noise
Hot Trends
-
Lee Greenwood Collaborates with Drew Jacobs on New Version of "God Bless The U.S.A."
-
Story Behind Chris Tomlin's New Song "Is He Worthy?"
-
Hillsong Church and Brian Houston Respond After Being Accused of Money Laundering and Fraud
-
Hinson Family’s Jordy Is Engaged To Logan Smith
-
Bethel Music's Kalley Heiligenthal Reflects on Her First Valentine's After the Death of Her Daughter Olive
-
Faith-Based Thriller, "NEFARIOUS," Receives Rave Reviews & Endorsements
-
Jaquita Lindsey Leaves Southern Gospel Trio 11th Hour
-
Luke Wareham On His New EP, Writing Congregational Songs, and Singing the Bible
-
NF is a Christian But Don't Call Him a Christian Rapper
-
Darlene Zschech Celebrates As She Takes Her Final Post-Cancer Pill
-
Hillsong's Marty Sampson's Startling Revelations About Brian Houston & His Own Marriage
-
Natasha Owens Releases New Remix of Smash Hit Single “Trump Won” featuring Nick Nittoli
-
Here Are the Lyrics to Transformation Worship's "Yahweh"
-
Join Lauren Daigle's Choir as She Performs at the Carnegie Hall
-
Brandon Lake Releases His Latest Single, "Hard Fought Hallelujah"
Most Popular
-
Lee Greenwood Collaborates with Drew Jacobs on New Version of "God Bless The U.S.A."
-
Story Behind Chris Tomlin's New Song "Is He Worthy?"
-
Hillsong Church and Brian Houston Respond After Being Accused of Money Laundering and Fraud
-
Hinson Family’s Jordy Is Engaged To Logan Smith
-
Bethel Music's Kalley Heiligenthal Reflects on Her First Valentine's After the Death of Her Daughter Olive
-
Faith-Based Thriller, "NEFARIOUS," Receives Rave Reviews & Endorsements
-
Jaquita Lindsey Leaves Southern Gospel Trio 11th Hour
-
Luke Wareham On His New EP, Writing Congregational Songs, and Singing the Bible
-
NF is a Christian But Don't Call Him a Christian Rapper
-
Darlene Zschech Celebrates As She Takes Her Final Post-Cancer Pill
-
Hillsong's Marty Sampson's Startling Revelations About Brian Houston & His Own Marriage
-
Natasha Owens Releases New Remix of Smash Hit Single “Trump Won” featuring Nick Nittoli
-
Here Are the Lyrics to Transformation Worship's "Yahweh"
-
Join Lauren Daigle's Choir as She Performs at the Carnegie Hall
-
Brandon Lake Releases His Latest Single, "Hard Fought Hallelujah"