The recent lawsuit between Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, and the estate of Donna Summer regarding the unauthorized use of her hit song “I Feel Love” has finally come to a close with a dismissal with prejudice. The dispute arose when West and Ty Dolla $ign sampled the iconic hook of Summer’s song on their track “Good (Don’t Die)” from the Vultures 1 album, without obtaining permission from the singer’s estate.
Despite West’s initial attempt to seek approval to sample the song, his request was denied by Summer’s estate and Universal Music Group. In an attempt to circumvent the rejection, West used an interpolation of the song instead of a direct sample. However, the estate claimed that this still constituted copyright infringement.
After the song was removed from streaming platforms in response to the lawsuit, a confidential settlement was reached between the parties, leading to the case being dismissed with prejudice. The details of the settlement remain undisclosed, including whether the song will be reinstated on streaming services such as Spotify.
This is not the first time West has faced legal issues regarding unauthorized sampling on Vultures 1, as he was also called out by Ozzy Osbourne for using Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” on the album without permission.
While West and Ty Dolla $ign have remained silent on the matter, the estate of Donna Summer made it clear that despite any alterations made to the song, it still constitutes a copyright infringement of “I Feel Love.” The outcome of this lawsuit serves as a reminder of the importance of obtaining proper authorization for sampling in the music industry.
In conclusion, the dismissal of the lawsuit with prejudice signifies the resolution of this legal dispute between the parties involved. It highlights the complexities and implications of copyright infringement in the music industry, and serves as a cautionary tale for artists to obtain proper permission before using copyrighted material in their work.
