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Katy Perry and company ordered to pay nearly $3 million to Christian rap artist for copyright infringement
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Katy Perry and company ordered to pay nearly $3 million to Christian rap artist for copyright infringement

Perry was sued in 2014 over similarities in their songs

Entertainer Katy Perry and her team are on the hook for $2.78 million in damages, according to The Associated Press.

This week, a jury found that Perry, collaborators, and her record label stole a portion of Christian rapper's 2009 song for Perry's 2013 hit, "Dark Horse." The jury found that Perry and her team copied a rhythmic loop of 2009's "Joyful Noise," which was written by Christian rapper Flame (real name Marcus Gray) and others.

Grey sued Perry and company over the similarities in the songs in 2014, and insisted that neither Perry nor her team requested permission to use the rhythmic loop. The original lawsuit sought $20 million.

Perry and her team previously insisted that "Dark Horse" did not steal from "Joyful Noise."

What are the details?

The damages portion of the trial revealed that the song earned about $41 million in total. The song spent four weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in early 2014.

Perry reportedly earned about $3 million for the single.

The $2.78 million in damages will be split between Gray and two other co-writers.

Perry herself will pay out slightly more than $550,000 of the $2.78 million in damages. Others involved in the production of the song will owe anywhere from $60,000 to more than $250,000.

Michael A. Kahn, Gray's lawyer, said, "We weren't here seeking to punish anyone. Our clients came here seeking justice, and they feel they received justice from a jury of their peers."

What else?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Perry's legal team has filed a motion urging U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder to find that a jury simply couldn't have determined copyright infringement, based solely on the evidence provided at the trial.

The outlet reported, "If Snyder sides with the singer, this damages award would be moot."

Perry's attorney, Christine Lepera, expressed her dismay at the ruling.

"The writers of Dark Horse consider this a travesty of justice," Lepera said according to the AP.

You can read more about the background of the trial here.

Flame "Joyful Noise" vs Katy Perry "Dark Horse" Mashupwww.youtube.com

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