The pop singer Taylor Swift won a lawsuit against her claiming she plagiarized that very line, along with “playas gonna play,” in her 2014 song, “Shake It Off.”
Swift was facing allegation from song writers that she stole from their song ‘Playas Gon’ Play’ for her 2014 anthem ‘Shake It Off’.
Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, a songwriting duo who originally wrote the 2001 hit for American girl group 3lw and have also worked with the likes of Justin Bieber and Pink, cited apparent similarities between the lyrics as a key foundation for their lawsuit.
US District Judge Michael Fitzgerald has now granted Swift’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but is allowing the plaintiffs to amend their complaint with more cited similarities by February 26.
“The lynchpin of this entire case is thus whether or not the lyrics ‘Playas, they gonna play / And haters, they gonna hate’ are eligible for protection under the Copyright Act,” Fitzgerald writes.
“By 2001, American popular culture was heavily steeped in the concepts of players, haters, and player haters. … The concept of actors acting in accordance with their essential nature is not at all creative; it is banal.”
“The allegedly infringed lyrics are short phrases that lack the modicum of originality and creativity required for copyright protection,” adds Fitzgerald.
“While the Court is extremely skeptical that Plaintiffs will — in a manner consistent with Rule 11 — be able to rehabilitate their copyright infringement claim in an amended complaint, out of an abundance of forbearance it will give Plaintiffs a single opportunity to try.”
> Shiuly Akter
