On Monday 29th July 2019, the American singer Katy Perry, as well as her record producer Dr. Luke, were found guilty of plagiarism.
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The jury came to this decision because of the very strong resemblance between the music from one of the biggest hits of recent years, Dark Horse, and a rap made by an unknown Christian rapper.
The rap in question is called Joyful Noise and was released by Flame, aka Marcus Gray. When it came out in 2009, it is said to have inspired Katy Perry’s song which was then released in 2013.
Five years after filing the lawsuit against Katy Perry, Marcus Gray won after a trial that lasted seven days. Katy Perry wasn’t present during the trial and has not yet released a statement about this plagiarism lawsuit.
The amount of money they will need to pay for damages and interest has not yet been determined, but the figures are quickly increasing in cases of artistic plagiarism and they will be no exception to the rule.
