International popstar Taylor Swift is being forced to prove that her 2014 smash hit Shake It Off did not copy American girl group 3LW’s 2000 song Playas Gon’ Play.
Thursday last week saw US District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald reject Swift’s plea to throw out the suit, which claimed she knowingly used 3WL’s lyrics.
Judge Fitzgerald stated that “there were some noticeable differences, but also objective similarities,” said Fitzgerald.
The claims of copyright infringement initially came to light in 2017, with Swift’s representatives/legal team stating that the claims were ridiculous and “nothing more than a money grab.”
The lyrics in question by 3LW are as follows:
The hit maker
The playas gon’ play
Them haters gonna hate
Them callers gonna call
Them ballers gonna ball
(Let ’em know)
While Swift’s lyrics read:
‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (Whoo-hoo-hoo)
The similarities are being questioned by Playas Gon’ Play song writers Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, who claim that both songs utilise the phrase, “players, they gonna’ play, and haters, they gonna’ hate.”
Hall and Butler are claiming that the combination of words is unique to their specific song. No figure for settlement has been reached for now, meaning that a pending court date is to be set.
Shake It Off was previously taken to court in 2015 by R&B singer Jessie Braham, who claimed that his 2013 song Haters Gonna Hate was responsible for 92% of Shake It Off and he was demanding $42 million.
Braham’s case was dismissed by District Court Judge Gail Standish, who stated that not enough factual evidence was present for the claims to be true.
When a court date will be set for Hall and Butler’s case is still inconclusive, however, claims suggest that their lawyers pre-trial preparation, known as the discovery phase, has found evidence directly in their favour.
Do you see the similarities in the two songs? Let us know in the comments below.
Written by Mansour Shukoor
