NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – A copyright infringement lawsuit against Megan Thee Stallion, Warner Music Group (WMG), and others over her chart-topping track “Savage” has been dismissed by a New York federal court. The case, initiated by hip-hop producer James Greene, alleged that “Savage” borrowed elements from his 1999 instrumental track “It’s About to Be On.”
Greene argued that he had distributed CDs of his music to industry contacts in the early 2000s, including a mentor of J. White Did It, the producer of “Savage.” However, US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled in favor of Stallion and the other defendants, citing a lack of evidence that they had access to Greene’s work.
Law firm Pryor Cashman, which represented the defendants, noted in a press release on June 18 that the judge found Greene’s evidence insufficient to demonstrate that the creators of “Savage” had accessed his track. Moreover, even if access had been proven, Judge Failla concluded that there were not enough similarities between the two songs to support Greene’s claims.
Judge Failla reviewed both tracks and stated that Greene “cannot establish that his work was similar to ‘Savage’ under either [the substantial similarity or striking similarity] standard,” leading to the case’s dismissal. She also mentioned that any appeal against her ruling “would not be taken in good faith,” as quoted by Pryor Cashman.
Digital Music News further reported that while “Savage” and “It’s About to Be On” share a similar time signature and rhythmic sequence, these features are not protected under copyright law. The court also found that the “siren sounds and piano instrumentation” present in both pieces were “qualitatively distinct.”
Judge Failla emphasized in her decision that despite some “cursory and unprotectable structural similarity,” the drum patterns in both songs were fundamentally different. She remarked, “The substance of the two drum patterns is qualitatively different and would preclude an ordinary listener from finding substantial similarity.”
This month, Latin music artist Feid faced a lawsuit over alleged infringement on his 2022 hit “Ferxxo 100” and two other tracks. Simultaneously, Ed Sheeran is contending with a prolonged copyright case concerning his song “Thinking Out Loud” following an appeal in one of the lawsuits against him.
Earlier this year, another New York court dismissed a copyright case by singer-songwriter Greg Perry against Roddy Ricch. Perry had claimed that Ricch’s 2019 hit “The Box” infringed on his 1975 R&B track “Come On Down,” but a jury found no substantial similarities between the two songs.
