Taylor Swift Cannot “Shake Off” Lawsuit for Allegedly Infringing Lyrics

Takeaway: The copyright lawsuit against Taylor Swift for lyrics in her “Shake It Off” song is revived by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Ninth Circuit revived a copyright lawsuit against Taylor Swift for allegedly copying lyrics in her “Shake It Off” song. Last year, a trial judge decided that the lyrics “Playas, they gonna play” and “haters, they gonna hate” in the song “Playas Gon’ Play,” written by Sean Hall and Nathan Butler and released by the group 3LW, were not sufficiently “original” to be afforded copyright protection. However, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this decision ruling that it would be “dangerous” for judges to quickly dismiss a case for lack of originality. Hall and Butler’s attorney said he would “continue their fight to protect the songwriters’ rights once the case [back] comes down to the district court.”

Photo: https://playlistology.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/taylor-swift-shake-it-off/