American rapper Kanye West is being sued by the late Donna Summer’s estate for “stealing” the legendary singer’s song, I Feel Love.
DONNA SUMMER’S ESTATE FILES A COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT
Donna Summer’s second husband, Bruce Sudano, who is also the executor of the late singer’s estate, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign. Sudano is alleging that the rapper used Donna’s I Feel Love without permission for their Vultures album song, Good (Don’t Die).
The lawsuit was filled in a California federal court Tuesday, 27 February.
According to media outlet Pitchfork, Bruce alleges that an entity called Alien Music, on behalf of West and Ty Dolla $ign, reached out to Donna Summer’s estate in January this year, to confirm its ownership of the “I Feel Love” composition and request permission for sampling.
“In considering Defendants’ request, the Summer Estate not only considered the immense commercial value of the ‘I FEEL LOVE’ composition, but also the potential degradation to Summer’s legacy,” the complaint reads.
KANYE WEST DENIED FROM USING A DONNA SUMMER SONG
Donna’s husband claims that the late artists estate denied the clearance request in early February, writing to the musicians’ representatives “that this denial meant an ‘absolute prohibition against any licensee (or other recording artist) covering I FEEL LOVE from using a Donna Summer “soundalike”, or using the original Donna Summer recording’”.
He also alleges that after Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign were denied by the estate, the rappers went to Summer’s record label, Universal Music Enterprises, for sampling permission, but the label also denied their requests.
Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign released their joint Vultures 1 in 10 February.
The estate argues and reiterates that Kanye’s song Good (Don’t Die) is not sample, but “an unauthorized interpolation”.
Bruce and his lawyer’s argue: “In the face of these repeated denials, West and Co-Defendants attempted to get around this roadblock by instead making an unauthorized interpolation. West and his Co-Defendants used the song’s iconic melody as the hook for their infringing song and essentially re-recorded almost verbatim key, instantly recognizable portions of “I FEEL LOVE” using a singer soundalike to Summer, with slight changes to the lyrics (also done without permission)”.
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