Dua Lipa Wins ‘Levitating’ Copyright Lawsuit With Ed Sheeran’s Help

Dua Lipa has officially won a copyright lawsuit over her hit song “Levitating.” The song faced allegations of copying melodies from two older disco tracks. A U.S. judge dismissed the lawsuit, referencing Ed Sheeran’s 2023 legal victory in the decision.

Dua Lipa wins Levitating copyright lawsuit

Dua Lipa has won a copyright lawsuit that alleged her 2020 hit “Levitating” copied elements from two disco songs from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The lawsuit, filed by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer in 2022, claimed that Lipa’s track was too similar to “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” (1979) and “Don Diablo” (1980).

However, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled that copyright law does not protect the overly generic musical elements in question. She pointed out that similar melodies have been used in works by Mozart, Rossini, and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” The judge also referenced Ed Sheeran’s 2023 copyright win to reinforce that no artist can exclusively claim common musical phrases.

Brown and Linzer specifically claimed that the opening melody of Levitating, where Lipa sings, “If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy, and I can take you for a ride,” was identical to their compositions. However, Judge Failla ruled that common musical phrases cannot be copyrighted. Brown and Linzer’s legal team has announced plans to appeal. (via Billboard)

This marks the second time Lipa has successfully defended “Levitating” in court. In 2023, a separate lawsuit from the Florida reggae group Artikal Sound System was dismissed. It was after they failed to prove Lipa had access to their 2015 track, “Live Your Life.”

Although she has won these cases, Lipa still faces a lawsuit from musician Bosko Kante. According to the lawsuit, his talk box recording was used in Levitating remixes without permission. He is seeking at least $2 million in damages.