Taylor Swift’s "Shake it Off" copyright lawsuit was dismissed. Image Source: Consequence.net
Taylor Swift’s "Shake it Off" lawsuit was dismissed.
According to reports, after five long years, Taylor Swift’s copyright lawsuit for her hit song "Shake It Off" has been dismissed.
Songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler had decided to sue the singer back in 2017 for royalties from her 2014 hit, alleging that the track lifted heavily from the 3LW song "Playas Gon’ Play," which was released in 2001. The songwriting duo had claimed that 20% of the song is their work and that they are entitled to as much of the song's enormous profits.
Songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler asserted in their lawsuit that Taylor Swift infringed the lines/lyrics "Playas gon' play" and "haters, they gon' hate" from their 2001 song "Playas Gon’ Play". They explained that she decided to write lyrics that read "Cause the players are going to play, play, play, play, and the haters are going to hate, hate, hate, hate, hate" for her song that released in 2014.
At the time, Taylor Swift’s representative said that the claims of the songwriters' Sean Hall and Nathan Butler were ridiculous and nothing more than a money grab, adding that the law is simple and clear and they do not have a case. On Monday, the attorneys for Taylor Swift, Sean Hall, and Nathan Butler filed a joint stipulation asking a California court to drop the lawsuit in its entirety.
Just weeks before the trial was set to begin, U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald officially dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice. Taylor Swift mentioned in August 2022 that she had never heard the song she was accused of plagiarizing, adding that the lyrics of her song "Shake It Off" were entirely written by her. She explained that she drew on personal experience while writing the song's lyrics, particularly uncompromising intense exposure of her private affairs, clickbait providing information, public deception, and other forms of negative specific insult, all of which she had managed to learn and needed to shake off to focus on her music.
Taylor Swift further stated in her petition that she wanted to use a comedic, uplifting method for assisting people to feel better about harsh comments thru the music, choreography, and the independency that allows one to simply shake it off. She also stated that she can remember ever hearing other children say phrases like "players playing" and "haters hating" together while going to school in Wyomissing Hills and high school in Hendersonville and that the song was the first time she heard it after being accused of plagiarism. Andrea Swift, Taylor Swift's mother, also made a statement in which she stated that she monitored closely both the television Taylor Swift started watching and the songs she heard.
Taylor Swift's copyright lawsuit over Shake It Off is not the only one she is facing; in August, author Teresa La Dart filed a lawsuit against Taylor Swift for more than a million dollars, alleging that she copied her poetry book "Lover" for her booklet "Lover" album. According to author Teresa La Dart, the singer decided to mimic the book's feel and layout, as well as the colors both pink and blue.
In other Taylor Swift news, Ticketmaster, which canceled the public ticket sale for her tour due to high demand, has found a way to keep the singer and the fans happy. The ticketing company said that they had sent out an email to some of the fans on Monday at the request of Taylor Swift’s team, delivering the news that they had been chosen for a limited opportunity to purchase tickets to her highly anticipated Eras Tour. The email read that they apologize for the difficulties you may have experienced and have been asked by Taylor’s team to create this additional opportunity for you to purchase tickets.
According to Ticketmaster, all eligible fans have been notified and will receive a request to submit a purchase requisition by December 23. After the submission of a ticket request, Ticketmaster will send an email trying to inform fans whether their proposal was confirmed, charging their card, and providing instructions on how to claim their tickets. The Eras Tour will kick off in March in Glendale, Arizona, and conclude in August in Los Angeles.
