According to several media reports, a Los Angeles jury decided on Monday, 29th July 2019, that Katy Perry’s 2013 song “Dark Horse” was copied in part from “Joyful Noise” by Christian rapper Flame.
***Plat4om giveaway: Check the picture at the end for a surprise.***
Nine jurors made the decision unanimously after a week-long trial. During the said trial, Perry testified about the creation of the track. However, she was not in the room when the verdict was read.
Flame, whose real name is Marcus Gray, argued that “Dark Horse” infringed on copyright laws by using the underlying beat from his song without permission.
Perry’s attorneys argued that the beat in question was too brief and common to be under copyright protection.
The penalty phase of the trial will begin Tuesday to determine the damages Perry and her co-writers owe Gray.
Co-writers named in this suit include Dr Luke or Lukasz Gottwald; producer Max Martin; producer Henry Walter; and songwriter and rapper Juicy J who was featured on the track.
Perry said during the testimony that the track was provided to her by Dr Luke and Walter, suggesting that the part that sounds like “Joyful Noise” may have been in the song without her knowledge.
Flame argued that his song, released in 2008, was very popular and was widely available on streaming platforms. This implies that Perry’s producers could have heard it before working on her song.
So did she do it?
Both Perry and Dr Luke testified that they had never heard Flame’s song.
On a lighter note, during the trial, there was some difficulty playing the track as evidence. Perry offered to sing the song to them, making them laugh.
Perry’s lawyer filed a petition on Thursday asking the judge to rule that no reasonable jury could determine copyright infringement based on the presented evidence.
The motion is still pending.
Here is the video of Flame’s “Joyful Noise”:
And here is the video of Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse”:
Check out the two songs and tell us what you think. Did Katy Perry’s producer rip off someone else’s song? Comment below.
Still on Entertainment, check out TY Bello’s spontaneous music sessions.
