A jury has found thatKaty Perry, her collaborators on her hit single “Dark Horse” and Capitol Records owe Christian rap artist Marcus Gray more than $2.5 million, theAssociated Press reportedon Thursday.
The nine-member jurypreviously foundthe songwriting team behind the 2013 hit, including the song’s co-creators Dr. Luke and Cirkut, to have copied Gray’s 2008 song, “Joyful Noise,” and on Thursday decided on a grand total of $2.78 million owed for the copyright infringement.
Perry, 34, will be responsible for a little more than $550,000, while Capitol Records will bear the brunt of the amount, the AP reports.
However, there is still a pending motion from Perry’s lawyers that could leave the jury’s decision open for dispute, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. The outlet reported that the motion asks U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder to “rule that no reasonable jury could find copyright infringement based on the evidence presented at trial.”
Despite the massive sum, Gray’s camp was reportedly fighting for even more — the singer’s lawyers told the jury he and his co-writers deserved $20 million,USA Todayreported, while the defense argued for about $360,000.
Perry received a Grammy nomination for “Dark Horse,” which appears on her 2013 albumPrismand has become a staple in the singer’s canon. The star also performed the song during her electric Super Bowl XLIX performance in 2015.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images
The pop star was reportedly absent from the courtroom on Monday when the jury’s verdict was reached — she’s beenvacationing in Spainwith fiancé Orlando Bloom— but she didtestify on the first dayof the trial, maintaining that she had never before heard “Joyful Noise.”
The decision has been nearly two weeks in the making, as the trial began on July 19.
Katy Perry.Splash
While Perry said she had never heard of the song or those who wrote it, when “Joyful Noise” co-writer Emmanuel Lambert Jr., a.k.a. Da Truth, took the stand, he said that the song was widely available on streaming services,Varietyreported at the time.
Nonetheless, Perry maintained that she primarily listened to secular music despite her background in Christian music.
source: people.com
