Popstar Katy Perry has secured a big win after US copyright claim filed against her has been dismissed following an appeal.
The claim started in 2014, when musician Marcus Gray filed a claim that Perry stole an eight-note riff from his track ‘Joyful Noise’ for her hit ‘Dark Horse’. As Perry’s hit sold well over 10 million units, Gray filed the claim with the US courts, claiming a large amount of damages.
Initially a court upheld the claim and awarded $2.8 million against Perry.
However, Perry appealed this decision. On appeal, the judge held that the original verdict was incorrect and risked suffocating musical creativity. The court said Gray had been attempting to claim an “improper monopoly” over conventional “musical building blocks”.
The award of $2.8 million has therefore been dismissed.
This ruling will spark interest in the music industry especially with other ongoing cases on this side of the waters.
