Taylor Swift has come out on the successful side of a copyright infringement lawsuit once again, after a years-long legal battle.
Songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler originally filed a lawsuit against the pop star in 2017. They claimed her hit “Shake it Off” stole key elements from their song “Playas Gon’ Play,” which was released in 2000 by R&B group 3LW.
The songwriters claimed Taylor used their lyrics to directly inspired her hit over a decade later.
For instance, Taylor’s song includes lyrics like "Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.” Conversely, Sean and Nathan’s song features lines like "The playas gon' play/Them haters gonna hate" as well as "Playas, they gonna play/And haters, they gonna hate."
The songwriters’ lawsuit was originally dismissed in 2018, but they went on to appeal the decision in 2019. Taylor’s request to have the appeal thrown out was subsequently denied.
However, the legal battle has finally concluded, as Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald dismissed the lawsuit “with prejudice.” This means Sean and Nathan are unable to re-file the case.
In August, Taylor released a statement in response to the lawsuit, claiming she’d never head Sean and Nathan’s song prior to the legal troubles. She added that “Shake It Off” was entirely original.
" Until learning about Plaintiffs’ claim in 2017, I had never heard the song 'Playas Gon’ Play' and had never heard of that song or the group 3LW," the singer said in court documents.
"I do not recall listening to any specific radio stations during that time, but when I listened to radio it was generally country music. I did not watch the MTV show 'TRL,' and I did not go to clubs during this time," she continued. "The lyrics to 'Shake It Off 'also draw from commonly used phrases and comments heard throughout my life. Prior to writing 'Shake It Off' I had heard the phrases 'players gonna play' and 'haters gonna hate' uttered countless times."
This isn’t the first time Taylor has been accused of copyright infringement and won the case. She was previously sued by R&B artist Jesse Graham in 2015 over “Shake It Off,” as he claimed it stole elements from his song “Haters Gone Hate.” Jesse was seeking $42 million in damages.
The case was dismissed various times, though Jesse re-filed it on multiple occasions, too. Ultimately, however, the case was dismissed with prejudice earlier this year.
Sources: USA Today, USA Today,
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