Revived 'Shake it Off' Lawsuit: Taylor Swift May Lose This Time?
Taylor Swift needs to literally shake off songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler for the second time after the lawsuit for the song "Shake It Off" reopened.
The three-panel judge from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reopened the copyright case about Swift's song "Shake It Off," which was filed by Hall and Butler in 2017. The two claimed that the lyrics from Swift's 2014 hit song were recklessly copied from their 2001 song "Playas Gon' Play" which was performed by 3LW.
The lawsuit aims to get 20 percent of the credits and benefits due to the close resemblance. The songwriters targeted Swift, the "Shake It Off" co-writers Max Martin and Shellback, as well as Sony/ATV and Universal Music.
Swift's camp, however, sees the case as nothing but an attempt to get money from the country singer.
In February 2018, the case was dismissed by the U.S. District Court since the songs did not sound similar at all and laws do not protect short lyrics. Also, the federal judge clarified that the two songwriters "did not have creative ownership over the phrases" and the words that allegedly copied by Swift were too common.
The case, nonetheless, was sent back to the U.S. District Court this week which seemed to be good news for the songwriters, especially for Hall who claimed that reviving the case was a unanimous decision. The appeal was brought back after a year since the sole and final judgment shall be made by a jury.
"This case is giving voice to all of those creatives who can't afford to stand up and protect their work in the face of well-financed Goliaths," Hall stated through Marina Borogad, his attorney.
Swift's representative spoke about the sudden news and corrected Hall's statement, saying that the case was revived and sent back to the district court for "further determination," not because of a unanimous decision.
"Their claim is not a crusade for all creatives, it is a crusade for Mr. Hall's bank account," Swift's representative said.
In addition, the rep pointed out that neither Hall or Butler invented the "common words".
"Shake It Off" and Other Similar Case
In 2015, a $42 million lawsuit was filed by musician Jessie Braham against Swift for stealing his lyrics from his song "Haters Gonna Hate".
According to New York Daily News, the musician said that if not for his song, the 2014 anthem would not exist now.
However, Braham said goodbye to the case and the $42 million after the United States District Court -- led by Judge Gail Standish -- dismissed it and referred to the complaint as a blank space that needed more than his name on it.
