Dua Lipa Triumphs in Copyright Lawsuit Over 'Levitating'

Dua Lipa has successfully dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit over her popular single 'Levitating,' as the judge determined the similarities were too generic to warrant protection.

Dua Lipa has emerged victorious in a recent copyright lawsuit concerning her chart-topping single 'Levitating.' The lawsuit, initiated by songwriters L Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer in 2022, claimed that Lipa's track borrowed from their 1979 disco song 'Wiggle and Giggle All Night' and the 1980 song 'Don Diablo.'

This week, US Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled that the alleged similarities between Lipa's single and the songs in question were merely generic and non-copyrightable. In her ruling, she pointed out that similar musical elements had been utilized by classical composers and other renowned artists, including Mozart, Gilbert and Sullivan, and the Bee Gees in their iconic song 'Stayin' Alive.'

This ruling marks the second time Lipa has successfully defended 'Levitating' against plagiarism allegations. In an earlier case, the Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System claimed that Lipa had appropriated the chorus from their 2015 song 'Live Your Life.' However, that case was dismissed in 2023 when the court found no proof of the musical access required for copyright claims.

Despite these wins, Lipa still faces a separate lawsuit from musician Bosko Kante, who contributed to the song with his vocals through a talk box. Kante is seeking at least $2 million in damages and profits from remixes of 'Levitating,' estimated at around $20 million.

Brown and Linzer's case contended that Lipa's opening melody calling for a ride beyond the stars was a "duplicate" of their work. However, Judge Failla emphasized that the musical style characterized as 'pop with a disco feel' cannot be protected, stating, "To hold otherwise would be to completely foreclose the further development of music in that genre or for that purpose."

Coincidentally, the judge's ruling came on the fifth anniversary of 'Levitating's' release as part of her critically acclaimed album 'Future Nostalgia.' Following the verdict, Brown and Linzer expressed their intent to appeal, asserting their disagreement with the decision. The BBC has reached out to Lipa’s representatives for comments.