by Jeroslyn JoVonn
May 18, 2024
Donna Summer’s estate has reached a settlement with Ye for unauthorized use of her 1977 Disco classic “I Feel Love.”
Donna Summer’s estate has reached a settlement with Ye and Ty Dolla $ign for unauthorized use of her 1977 classic “I Feel Love.”
The estate filed the suit in February accusing the rap duo of using the disco hit on their “Vultures 1” album without permission. On Wednesday, May 15, a status report filed in Los Angeles federal court included a statement from a lawyer representing Summer’s estate which revealed the “global settlement” both parties reached on May 3, according to Rolling Stone.
“Plaintiff anticipates that the final settlement agreement can be executed shortly, and soon thereafter, the parties will be in a position to file a stipulation for dismissal of the action in its entirety,” the filing signed by estate lawyer Stanton L. Stein said.
“In the unlikely event the parties are unable to conclude the settlement by June 14, 2024, plaintiff intends to diligently prosecute the action against all defendants. As such, plaintiff requests that dismissal not be entered at this time.”
The copyright infringement lawsuit was initially filed in federal court in Los Angeles by Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano who serves as executor of the late singer’s estate. The lawsuit alleged that Ye had reached out to the estate to get permission to sample the song in the “Vultures I” track “Good (Don’t Die).”
However, the rapper (real name Kanye West) was turned down by Summer’s estate as they “wanted no association with West’s controversial history”. Ye was denied a second time after contacting Summer’s record label, Universal Music Enterprises to request authorization to use the song.
The estate was surprised when “Vultures I” released and “shamelessly” included re-recorded parts of “I Feel Love” that were “instantly recognizable.” Once the lawsuit was filed, “Good (Don’t Die)” was quickly removed from streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Summer’s estate was among a list of music acts to accuse Ye of including unauthorized samples on the album. Ozzy Osbourne blasted Ye as an “Antisemite” after the rapper included a sample of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” on the track “Carnival.”
Ye went on to remove to the Black Sabbath sample and included a cut from his song “Hell Of A Life,” which features a legally-cleared sample of “Iron Man.” The Yeezy founder was also accused of using an uncleared sample of Backstreet Boys “Everybody” on a song of the same name which ended up not making the album.
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