Donna Summer’s estate has reportedly reached a settlement with Kanye West after he was accused of ripping off one of her most iconic songs.
A legal battle was sparked in February when West and fellow rapper Ty Dolla $ign released their Vultures 1 album, which includes the track Good (Don’t Die).
Upon its release, the estate of disco legend Summer – who died in 2012 aged 63 – accused the rap duo of stealing a sample of her 1977 smash hit I Feel Love after they denied them permission to use it on the song.
The track was subsequently removed from streaming versions of the Vultures 1 album after Summer’s estate launched a copyright infringement suit.
Now Rolling Stone reports a “global agreement” has been reached between the parties, sharing a status report filed on Wednesday in a Los Angeles court reading, “Plaintiff anticipates that the final settlement agreement can be executed shortly, and soon thereafter, the parties will be in a position to file a stipulation for dismissal of the action in its entirety.”
It continues, “In the unlikely event the parties are unable to conclude the settlement by June 14, 2024, plaintiff intends to diligently prosecute the action against all defendants. As such, plaintiff requests that dismissal not be entered at this time.”
It is unclear if Good (Don’t Die) will be permitted to return to streaming services following the update.
Summer’s widower Bruce Sudano had been left incensed when West and Ty, real name Tyrone William Griffin Jr, sampled the late singer’s track after usage was denied.
In the legal action, he fumed, “This lawsuit… is about the rights of artists to decide how their works are used and presented to the public, and the need to prevent anyone from simply stealing creative works when they cannot secure the right to use them legally.”
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