Katy Perry wins as Judge reverses plagarism verdict on Dark Horse

In 2014, Marcus Gray popularly known by the stage name Flame contended that Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” borrowed a simple eight-note pattern, known as an ostinato, from his “Joyful Noise” Gospel song.

A US federal jury astounded the music industry by finding that Katy Perry’s hit single “Dark Horse” infringed on the copyright of the Christian rap song, and the jury later ordered the pop star and her team to pay $2.8 million in damages.

During the trial phase, Perry’s attorneys argued that the song’s creators hadn’t heard of Joyful Noise and don’t listen to Christian rap. They also contended that the elements of the riff are so basic and should be made available to all songwriters.

On Tuesday, 17th March 2020, the judge in the case made an equally shocking move by vacating the jury’s decision, which means that Perry and her collaborators — including her longtime producer Dr. Luke — are not liable for infringement and so, they don’t have to pay damages.

The $2.8 million damages they were asked to pay has been dropped. So, Katy won the case eventually.