Pop superstar Taylor Swift is used to fending off the haters, but this time, she will be doing it in federal court. In a recent lawsuit, R&B singer Jessie Braham sued Swift for $42 million, alleging that Swift took lyrics from his 2013 single, “Haters Gone Hate,” for her No. 1 hit single “Shake It Off.” Braham is alleging copyright infringement based on his song’s chorus, which contains the following chorus lyrics: “Haters gone hate, playas gone play / Watch out for them fakers, they’ll fake you every day.” Swift’s song, on the other hand, contains these chorus lyrics: “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play / And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”
Is Braham just another hater, or does he have a legitimate claim? Read more about copyright infringement.
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In addition to Thriving Attorney, Darin M. Klemchuk is founder of Klemchuk LLP, a litigation, intellectual property, and transactional law firm located in Dallas, Texas. He also co-founded Project K, a charity devoted to changing the world one random act of kindness at a time. Click to read more about Darin Klemchuk's practice as an intellectual property lawyer.
