Dua Lipa brought home the victory in the copyright case involving her hit song, "Levitating."
Artikal Sound System first launched the lawsuit in March 2022, in which it accused Lipa of copying its 2017 song "Live Your Life." The group also included Warner Records, Lipa's co-songwriters, and producers in the legal document and said they all listened to its track while making the 2020 track.
Dua Lipa Wins Copyright Lawsuit
US District Judge Sunshine Sykes declared Monday that the reggae band failed to provide enough evidence to support its accusation that Lipa and her "Levitating" team copied "Live Your Life" after reportedly having access to it, Reuters reported.
During the hearing in a Los Angeles federal court, Artikal Sound System tried to defend its claims by noting that its song was played at concerts and shows and that it was available in several music streaming services. However, Judge Skyes ruled that the band's statement was not enough to be treated as evidence, according to Billboard.
According to the district judge, Artikal Sound System failed to specify how "frequently" it performed "Live Your Life" publicly.
The judge continued, "[The claims] precludes the Court from finding that Plaintiffs' live performances of the song plausibly contributed to its saturation of markets in which Defendants would have encountered it."
Despite the dismissal of the lawsuit, Artikal Sound System received a ruling that it could try and fix the holes in its argument and file an amended complaint in the future, the media outlets cited. With the verdict, the reggae band would not be able to claim its demanded profits "Levitating" made as well as other damages fees.
Lipa released "Levitating" in 2020 as part of her hit album, "Future Nostalgia." It conquered several charts, including the Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, Mainstream Top 40, and Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart.
The single also became one of the longest-charting tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Dua Lipa Faced Another Copyright Issue
Aside from Artikal Sound System, two songwriters also filed a copyright claim and insisted that "Levitating" was a copy of their 1979 disco hit, "Wiggle and Giggle All Night.
L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer accused Lipa of copying the track, which was performed by Cory Daye. Meanwhile, the singer's lawyer responded to the filing and blasted the songwriters over the alleged similarities.
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