Dua Lipa Wins Second Copyright Case Over ‘Levitating’ as Legal Battle Continues
Dua Lipa has secured another legal victory in a copyright lawsuit involving her 2020 hit “Levitating”, after facing allegations of plagiarism.
The singer was sued in 2022 by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, who claimed that the song copied elements from their disco-era tracks “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” (1979) and “Don Diablo” (1980).
However, on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed the case, ruling that the similarities were too generic to be protected under copyright law. She pointed out that similar musical elements had appeared in classical compositions by Mozart, works of Gilbert and Sullivan, and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”.
This marks the second time “Levitating” has been challenged in court. In 2023, a lawsuit filed by Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System was also dismissed after a judge determined that Lipa and her co-writers had no access to the bandβs 2015 song “Live Your Life”, a crucial factor in proving copyright infringement.
Despite these legal victories, a third lawsuit is still ongoing. Musician Bosko Kante, who contributed talk box vocals to “Levitating”, sued Lipa in 2023, claiming his performance was used without authorization in various remixes of the song. He is demanding at least $2 million in damages, along with a share of the $20 million in estimated profits generated by the remixes.
Meanwhile, Lipa remains focused on her Radical Optimism world tour, currently performing in Australia, as legal proceedings continue.
