Katy Perry Wins “Dark Horse” Copyright Appeal, Celebrates With Las Vegas Crowd

In 2014, rapper Marcus Gray accused Katy Perry of ripping off his song “Joyful Noise” in her hit 2013 single “Dark Horse.”

At first, Gray won the verdict, but it was then overturned in 2020 on the grounds that the song elements were too simple for copyright protection.

Late last week, the federal court refused to reinstate the $2.8 million verdict against Perry.

“The portion of the ‘Joyful Noise’ ostinato that overlaps with the ‘Dark Horse’ ostinato consists of a manifestly conventional arrangement of musical building blocks,” said the appeals court. “Allowing a copyright over this material would essentially amount to allowing an improper monopoly over two-note pitch sequences or even the minor scale itself.”

Perry shared the news with the packed crowd at one of her recent Las Vegas residency concerts.

“So just be sure… before you take me to court, ’cause I’m a Scorpio, b—-!” she shouted out to the crowd.

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