May 18th 2024.
The legal battle over Donna Summer's famous disco hit, "I Feel Love," has finally come to a close. After months of back and forth, a settlement has been reached between her estate and rappers Ye and Ty Dolla $ign, who were accused of using the song without permission on their album "Vultures 1." According to a recent report, the two parties came to a "global settlement" on May 3rd, which was disclosed in a status update filed with the Los Angeles federal court on May 15.
In the statement, the lawyer representing Summer's estate shared that they are currently in the process of finalizing the settlement agreement and will soon file a stipulation to dismiss the entire lawsuit. However, they also made it clear that if the settlement is not finalized by June 14, 2024, they will continue to pursue legal action against all parties involved.
The lawsuit was initially filed by Summer's husband, Bruce Sudano, who serves as the executor of her estate. It claimed that Ye had attempted to gain permission to sample "I Feel Love" for his track "Good" but was turned down due to the estate's desire to not be associated with the rapper's controversial history. Despite being denied twice, the song was still released and allegedly included re-recorded parts of "I Feel Love" without authorization.
After the lawsuit was filed, "Good" was quickly removed from streaming platforms. Summer's estate was not the only one to accuse Ye of using unauthorized samples on his album. Ozzy Osbourne spoke out against the rapper for including a sample of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" on the track "Carnival," calling him an "Antisemite." As a result, Ye removed the sample and replaced it with a legally-cleared sample from his own song, "Hell Of A Life."
In addition to this controversy, Ye was also accused of using an uncleared sample of the Backstreet Boys' "Everybody" on a track of the same name, which did not end up making the final cut of the album. This legal battle brought to light the issue of unauthorized sampling in the music industry and sparked a larger conversation about copyright infringement.
Despite this legal setback, Summer's legacy continues to live on. She was recently announced as one of the music acts to receive a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, along with N.W.A., Gladys Knight, and The Clark Sisters. Her timeless music and impact on the disco genre will always be remembered and cherished.
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