Jesse Graham V. T-Swift
A few days ago, Jesse Graham announced that he filed suit against Taylor Swift for copyright infringement. Graham is suing for a whopping $42 million, claiming that Taylor Swift ripped lyrics from him.
Prior to filing suit against Taylor, Graham allegedly asked Taylor for his share in royalties and a piece of the writing rights, as well as a quick selfie with the star.
So, does he have a chance with this? Let’s look at the evidence. He is claiming that she ripped the lyrics, “Haters gonna hate” and “players gonna play”. Both are prominent lines in both of the songs choruses.
Simply put, “Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works.”
This case is more than likely going to be one pertaining to derivative works. This means that Taylor Swift would’ve infringed by previously listening to Graham’s “Haters gone hate”, and using those two lines of lyrics in her chorus. The plaintiff (Graham) will have to prove that she has heard this song before, and disregarded copyright law. This will be tough. Also, proving that “haters gonna hate” and “players gonna play” are NOT common phrases will be difficult.
Do you think he’s got a case? Let us know and tweet at @featurefm
To check out Title 17 for copyright infringement of the U.S. gov click here.
To see some case examples of copyright infringement suits, click here.
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