Dua Lipa is Levitating as Judge Dismisses Copyright Lawsuit Against Singer’s Chart Topper

In a recent turn of events, the ongoing copyright lawsuit against Dua Lipa over her popular 2020 track “Levitating” has been dropped by a judge. Back in March 2022, the singer encountered two copyright lawsuits, one from the Florida-based reggae group Artikal Sound System. By June 2023, these initial claims had been dismissed.

Back in 2022, I found myself involved in another copyright dispute, this time filed by L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer. Fast forward to March 27, 2025, and Judge Katherine Polk Failla of New York decided to dismiss the case. The reasoning behind her decision was that the similarities between the songs in question didn’t meet the standards for copyright infringement as defined by law.

As per a statement, Brown and Linzer claim that Lipa plagiarized their two tracks – “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” from 1979 and “Don Diablo” from 1980. For those who may not know, these songs belong to the disco era.

In simpler terms, the defendants asserted that the initial tune in “Levitating” was a duplication of tunes from previous songs they had written. Additionally, Brown and Linzer stated that Dua Lipa acknowledged intentionally imitating past styles, using them as inspiration to produce a vintage sound.

Nevertheless, the judge decided in the verdict that the copyright infringement accusation was unfounded because it concerned a descending scale shared by all three songs; however, “Levitating” also incorporated an extra note.

In addition, the judge referenced the Structured Asset Sales, LLC vs. Ed Sheeran case – a copyright dispute from 2023 where Ed Sheeran was victorious, having been accused of plagiarizing Marvin Gaye’s song “Let’s Get It On.

In simpler terms, Judge Katherine Polk Failla explained that a sequence of musical notes (chord progression) and the pattern at which they’re played (harmonic rhythm), when combined, don’t qualify for copyright protection.

The decision also pointed out that while someone might perceive musical resemblances between the two tunes, legally speaking, there’s no significant similarity (and hence no copyright infringement) because the similarities exist in non-copyrightable aspects of the original work.

Currently, Dua Lipa continues to deal with another copyright dispute concerning the same song. This time, it’s a claim made by producer Bosko Kante, who submitted his lawsuit in the year 2023.

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2025-03-28 12:52