August 29th 2023.
Rapper Nayvadius Wilburn, known as Future, was recently embroiled in a copyright lawsuit that accused him of ripping off the song of a Virginia rapper, DaQuan Robinson. Robinson claimed he had sent Future a track, which Future then released as his own song in 2021.
Last week, however, the judge, Martha Pacold, ruled in favor of Future and utilized the example of songs from The Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, and the artist formerly known as Kanye West, Ye.
Judge Pacold stated that the thematic elements that Robinson addressed, guns, money, and jewelry, are frequently present in hip-hop and rap music. Thus, she decided that these elements were outside of the protections of copyright law. Furthermore, she determined that if Future had copied the song, it was not covered by copyrights in the first place.
The judge also spoke about the title of the song. According to her, any one lyricist could not monopolize such a short, simple phrase. She argued that it was a fragmentary expression that was commonplace in everyday speech and ubiquitous in popular music.
Complex reported that Robinson, using the stage name of Gutta, had sent the track over to rapper Doe Boy and producer Zaytoven, who were connected with Future’s label. Unfortunately for Robinson, he did not name them in the lawsuit.
Overall, the judge's decision to throw the suit out was a huge victory for Future. This ruling serves as a reminder that basic lyrics ubiquitous in the hip-hop world are outside the protections of copyright law. Not only does it protect Future, but it also provides guidance to the hip-hop community on copyright infringement.
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