Taylor Swift at the 2022 MTV EMAs

Taylor Swift Rings In Her 33rd Birthday After 'Shake It Off' Copyright Lawsuit Dropped

Home / News / Taylor Swift Rings In Her 33rd Birthday After 'Shake It Off' Copyright Lawsuit Dropped

By Favour Adegoke on December 13, 2022 at 12:30 PM PST

Congrats are in order for Taylor Swift, as she can finally heave a sigh of relief after the copyright lawsuit against her song "Shake It Off" was dropped.

Swift was accused of plagiarizing lyrics from the song "Playas Gon' Play" by songwriters Nate Butler and Sean "Sep" Hall for the girl band 3LW in 2017, although she insisted she had never heard of the tune.

The singer is on course to win a Golden Globe for her single, "Carolina," on "Where The Crawdads Sing," which was nominated for Best Original Song.

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Taylor Swift Was Charged With Plagiarism

Taylor Swift at the 2022 MTV EMAs
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Per The Blast, the musician was sued by songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler after the duo claimed that the hitmaker sampled pieces of the song they wrote for 3LW, "Playas Gon' Play," in her 2014 hit "Shake It Off."

In response, the singer stated that she had never heard the music she was suspected of lifting, nor did she know of the group that released it.

"Until learning about the Plaintiffs' claim in 2017, I had never heard the song Playas Gon' Play and had never heard of that song or the group 3LW," she said, adding that her parents didn't allow her to watch until she was 13.

"I have never heard the song 'Playas Gon' Play' on the radio, on television, or in any film. The first time I ever heard the song was after this claim was made."

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The conflict arose because Hall and Butler's song had the terms "playas, they gonna play" and "haters, they gonna hate," whereas Swift's lyrics read, "Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate."

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Taylor Swift Received An Early Birthday Present With The Lawsuit Dropped

Taylor Swift wearing an Oscar de la Renta dress, Christian Louboutin shoes, and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry arrives at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards
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The "Blank Space" singer was greeted with pleasant news just in time for her 33rd birthday when the lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald.

In December last year, a request to have the lawsuit dismissed was denied after her lawyers argued both songs used the same public domain phrases, "players gonna play" and "haters gonna hate."

The judge, Michael W. Fitzgerald, signed the order after Hall and Butler agreed to dismiss the case without prejudice, according to a new court filing on Monday via NBC News. It is unknown whether Swift and the pair negotiated a settlement due to this recent development, but the lawsuit cannot be re-filed.

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The 11-time Grammy award winner in August declared she wrote the lyrics to "Shake It Off" herself, adding that she never knew who 3LW was, nor the song "Playas Gon' Play."

"I recall hearing phrases about players play and haters hate stated together by other children while attending school in Wyomissing Hills, and in high school in Hendersonville," the singer wrote in her August filing. "These phrases were akin to other commonly used sayings like 'don't hate the playa, hate the game,' 'take a chill pill,' and 'say it, don't spray it," she added.

With the copyright lawsuit behind her, Swift is now completely free to re-record her hit album, "1989."

Fans Are Eager For Another 'Taylor's Version' Re-Recording

Taylor Swift at the 2022 MTV EMAs
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After the events of the "Lavender Haze" songstress losing the masters to her songs, she announced in 2019 that she was going to re-record her first six studio albums.

Swift's former record label boss, Scott Borchetta, sold Big Machine Records to Scott 'Scooter' Braun for $300M, who in turn sold her masters to Shamrock Holdings.

The talented, hardworking artist has now re-recorded two of her first six albums, "Fearless" and "Red," and fans can't wait to see what comes next.

With her commercially and critically acclaimed 10th studio album, "Midnights," doing so well, fans have more than enough to keep them fed and steady as they await the release of the next "Taylor's Version."

Taylor Swift Is Nominated For A Golden Globe

Taylor Swift at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards
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Swift, who has won several Grammys but has never won a Golden Globe, will once again get the opportunity to do so after receiving her fourth nomination on Monday. Her song "Carolina" from the motion picture "Where The Crawdads Sing" was nominated in the Best Original Song category for the prestigious award alongside other worthy entries.

The singer has previously been nominated thrice in the same category after her song "Safe and Sound" from "The Hunger Games" got the nod in 2013, followed by "Sweeter Than Fiction" from "One Chance" and "Beautiful Ghost" from "Cats" in 2014 and 2020 respectively.

She faces tough opposition to the coveted prize from Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" ("Top Gun: Maverick") and Rihanna's "Lift Me Up" ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.")

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