Katy Perry and her “Dark Horse” collaborators have reportedly just been hit with a hefty copyright infringement fee.
As we reported earlier this week, the pop singer has spent the last few weeks embroiled in a lawsuit with Marcus Gray, who claimed that Perry ripped off his 2009 Christian rap song “Joyful Noise.” On Monday, a jury found Perry and her collaborators (including Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Juicy J) guilty of copyright infringement, with the exact payout to be determined later this week.
On Thursday, the jury ruled that Perry and her collaborators must pay $2.78 million to Gray and his co-writers. According to the Associated Press, Perry herself is responsible for $550,000 of the payout, with Capitol Records taking most of the hit.
“Dark Horse” was released in 2013 to critical acclaim and chart success. The song hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was one of the standout singles on her 2013 album Prism.
Throughout the trial, Perry and her collaborators’ legal representation argued that Perry, one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, would not have heard a little-known Christian rap song. Gray’s win is one of several music-related copyright infringement cases that have been in the news over the last few years — Robin Thicke and his “Blurred Lines” collaborators were sued by the estate of Marvin Gaye for lifting from “Got To Give It Up,” but the “Dark Horse” case may be the first instance of a more obscure artist winning a payout this large.
