A jury has declared that the 'Firework' hitmaker's 2013 hit was indeed similar to 2009 track 'Joyful Noise', which was written by Marcus Gray and his two co-writers.
- Aug 2, 2019
AceShowbiz - Katy Perry, her "Dark Horse" collaborators and record label bosses have been ordered to hand over $2.78 million (£2.3 million) for ripping off a Christian rap song.
A jury awarded the money to Marcus Gray and his two co-writers of the 2009 track "Joyful Noise" on Thursday, August 01, after declaring 45 percent of Katy's 2013 hit was similar to the tune.
Perry, who appeared in court at the beginning of the copyright trial last month (July 2019), will personally have to stump up $550,000 (£453,000).
Gray, aka FLAME, initially sued in 2014, claiming Dark Horse was identical in parts to "Joyful Noise".
His lawyers suggested Gray and his two co-writers should split $20 million (£16.5 million) from Perry, her co-writers and label bosses, stating: "These defendants have made millions and millions of dollars from their infringement of the plaintiff's copyright and they seek a fair portion of the defendants' profits."
Both sides agreed that Perry herself made a profit of $2.4 million (£2 million) from the track, according to Billboard.
