Dua Lipa has secured a significant legal victory as a U.S. District Judge dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit concerning her 2021 hit, “Levitating.” Songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer alleged that Lipa’s track copied elements from their 1979 song “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” and its 1980 derivative, “Don Diablo.” However, Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled that the similarities cited were too generic to warrant copyright protection, emphasizing that such common musical elements are fundamental to the genre and cannot be monopolized by any single artist.
Despite the dismissal, Brown and Linzer have expressed intentions to appeal the decision.
This dismissal marks Dua Lipa’s second legal triumph related to “Levitating,” previously, a lawsuit filed by the reggae band Artikal Sound System, claiming that Lipa’s song infringed upon their 2015 track “Live Your Life,” was also dismissed due to insufficient evidence of substantial similarity or access.
Despite these victories, Dua Lipa faces an ongoing legal challenge from artist Bosko Kante, who alleges unauthorized use of his talk box recordings in remixes of “Levitating.” As of now, this case remains unresolved.
These lawsuits underscore the complexities of copyright law in the music industry, especially concerning the use of common musical elements and collaborations.
Amid these legal proceedings, Lipa continues to focus on her music career. She is currently on tour promoting her 2024 album, Radical Optimism, and is involved in the reissue of her acclaimed album Future Nostalgia.
