A Los Angeles jury has found Katy Perry liable for copyright infringement involving her 2013 hit Dark Horse. Christian rapper Flame, whose real name is Marcus Gray, accused Perry of using the beat from his song Joyful Noise in her song.
While Perry and her legal team claimed that the song used only common musical elements, the jury found a substantial similarity between the two. The Ninth Circuit, which includes California, uses a substantial similarity test to determine copyright infringement. The producers and writers of the song were all found liable, with damages to be determined.
If you have a song that you need protected or suspect that someone has infringed the copyright on your own work, contact the Law Firm of Dillon McCarthy for an intellectual property attorney who will put you first.