Judge quotes Taylor Swift while ‘shaking off’ $42m copyright lawsuit

A US court has dismissed a copyright claim filed against singer Taylor Swift that alleged her 2014 hit song “Shake it off” infringed a singer’s copyright, according to reports.

In a decision handed down on Tuesday, November 10, and in a judgment which included several plays on Taylor Swift lyrics, Judge Gail Standish threw out singer Jesse Braham’s claim.

Braham had claimed that “Shake it off” had infringed the copyright to his own “Haters gone hate” musical track, which was uploaded to YouTube in 2013.

Braham owns the copyright to the lyrics of his song and had complained that Swift’s use of the phrases “haters gonna hate” and “players gonna play” was too similar to his own work.

In his complaint, filed on October 28 at the US District Court for the Central District of California, Braham requested $42 million in damages.

Before filing the complaint he had demanded a writing credit on the song, but alleged that Swift had rejected his request.

In her decision, issued November 10, Judge Gail Standish invoked the words of Swift’s hit songs “We are never ever getting back together”, “Blank space” and “Shake it off” to reject Braham’s claim.

According to CNN, she said: “At present, the court is not saying that Braham can never, ever, ever get his case back in court. But, for now, we have got problems, and the court is not sure Braham can solve them.”

“As currently drafted, the complaint has a blank space—one that requires Braham to do more than write his name. And, upon consideration of the court’s explanation ... Braham may discover that mere pleading BandAids will not fix the bullet holes in his case. At least, for the mo ment, defendants have shaken off this lawsuit,” she added.