Dua Lipa Faces Third Lawsuit FHit Song ‘Levitating’; All You Need To Know About $20 Million Copyright Claim

We have all enjoyed dancing to the catchy beats of "Levitating", which became a youth sensation in no time. However, the song has had a rather controversial journey. British pop star Dua Lipa is currently embroiled in a fresh copyright lawsuit over the song. Musician Bosko Kante has filed a multi-million dollar federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against the star and Warner Music Group over copyright claims for the song 'Levitating,' which had an impressive run of 77 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, per Chart Data.

Let's find out more about this intriguing development. 

Multi-million dollar copyright lawsuit

On July 31, 2023, Kante filed a lawsuit alleging that the British singer used a talk box recording, created using a device worn around the neck that allows the user to manipulate synthesizer or guitar sounds through their mouth, without obtaining his permission in three remixes of "Levitating".

Third lawsuit over "Levitating" 

The 2020 hit "Levitating" is now facing its third lawsuit involving Dua Lipa. In a previous case, a complaint from the reggae group Artikal Sound System was dismissed by the court, and she is currently engaged in litigation with songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer.

Kante, who is the founder of the mobile talk box company ElectroSpit, filed the latest lawsuit. According to the claim, music producer Stephen Kozmeniuk approached Kante to create a talk box performance specifically for "Levitating." Although there was no written contract, Kante alleged that they had a clear understanding that the performance would only be used in the original recording and not be sampled or reused elsewhere.

In the ongoing lawsuit, it has been alleged that one of the remixes of "Levitating," featuring rapper DaBaby, which had over 1.8 billion plays on Spotify alone, also utilized the disputed talk box recording without proper authorization. According to the lawsuit, Kante is seeking compensation exceeding $20 million, claiming that the unauthorized use of his talk box performance in multiple remixes of the song has resulted in significant financial losses and damages.

This legal battle is not an isolated incident, as numerous music stars, ranging from Taylor Swift to Bad Bunny, have found themselves entangled in similar disputes over the rights to their music. Earlier this year, Bad Bunny and several other prominent artists sought to have a lawsuit dismissed, which accused them of copyright infringement involving a 1989 song. This particular case involves musical compositions sampled by over 100 artists in more than 1,600 songs, highlighting the widespread complexity of copyright issues in the music industry.

Music industry's struggle to safeguard artists' rights

In another high-profile case, a Manhattan jury ruled in favor of Ed Sheeran in May, stating that his hit song "Thinking Out Loud" did not infringe upon the copyright of Marvin Gaye's iconic track "Let's Get It On." This decision underscored the challenging nature of determining copyright infringement in musical works, as artists strive to protect their intellectual property rights while navigating the fine line between creative inspiration and originality. The current lawsuit against Dua Lipa combined with these other legal battles within the music industry reflects the ongoing efforts to protect artistic rights and uphold the integrity of copyrighted material in an ever-evolving digital landscape.