September 7th 2023.
Sam Smith and Normani have won a big victory as they have prevailed in their copyright infringement battle in court over their 2019 collaboration, Dancing With a Stranger. Songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda, and Rosco Banlaoi sued the singers in March 2022, claiming that the song copied the lyrics, pitch sequence, melodic contour, metric placement of the syllables, rhythm, feel, and structure of their song.
The lawyers for Sam Smith, 31, and Normani, 27, asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed in September 2022 and a federal judge in California agreed to do so. Judge Wesley L. Hsu ruled that the similarities weren't protected by law as they were just musical building blocks that belong to the public domain. In addition, the judge found that the phrase ‘dancing with a stranger’ was not unique enough to be protected by copyright as there were earlier songs that used the same phrase.
The Unholy singer and former Fifth Harmony star have yet to comment on their legal victory. Earlier, Sam’s legal team had described the claim as ‘rambling’, ‘nonsensical’ and ‘repetitive’, and urged that it ‘relies on hyperbole and ignores established circuit law’.
The duo released their hit in 2019 and saw it climb the charts to reach the number three spot in the UK singles chart and the number seven rank in the American list. Sam and Normani recently opened up about the progression of their career when they performed on stage in Montreal. Sam told the audience: ‘Oh my god. I was trying so hard not to cry. Thank you so much. Thank you so much’ and later explained why the venue meant so much to them.
Sam and Normani’s reps have not commented yet following the verdict. The Agency entertainment team reached out to them for comment but have yet to hear back.
It's great to see Sam Smith and Normani celebrating a huge victory in the courtroom. We look forward to hearing from them soon and wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
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