Judge Rules in Favour of Nicki Minaj in Tracy Chapman Copyright dispute

A Judge has ruled in favour of Nicki Minaj in the copyright dispute she had with the rapper and four-time Grammy winner, Tracy Chapman. 

The dispute happened in 2018 when Tracy Chapman sued Nicki Minaj for “stealing her song”, ‘Baby Can I Hold You.’

According to Tracy, Nicki Minaj used “half of the lyrics and vocal melody” of the 1988 hit to make her track ‘Sorry’.

In her lawsuit, the American singer-songwriter sought damages and an order to prevent Nicki Minaj and her team from releasing the track, ‘Sorry’.

She also claimed that the rapper’s team made “multiple requests” to license ‘Baby Can I Hold You’ and was denied. 

While this ensued, Nicki Minaj denied committing copyright infringement, stating that her interpolation was protected by the doctrine of fair use.

 In respect to this, a judge, Virginia A. Phillips, gave Nicki Minaj victory in court Wednesday September 16.

Phillips ruled that the rapper did not commit copyright infringement when she wrote and recorded her song.

The judge cited the doctrine of fair use in her ruling, stating that “artists usually experiment with works before seeking licenses from rights holders and rights holders typically ask to see a proposed work before approving a license. A ruling uprooting these common practices would limit creativity and stifle innovation within the music industry.”

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