In deciding last week that Katy Perry’s 2013 hit “Dark Horse” copied an 11-year-old Christian rap song, a federal jury in Los Angeles contributed to what music executives worry is a growing trend: infringement cases that claim some of the industry’s most popular songs are rip-offs. Ms. Perry and her collaborators must pay $2.8 million in damages, the jury found, a decision that has lawyers concerned about similar lawsuits and songwriters worried about stifled creativity. ...
The ruling that pop star Katy Perry 's song and lyrics copied from a Christian rap song could lead to further claims that the music industry 's most popular songs are guilty of infringements . The recent case , in which damages of $ 500 m were awarded , and the 2015 trial over the copyright infringement Lines have helped potentially to extend musical infringement past just melody and lyrics to include a song 's feel as well . Now music critics are concerned that artists may be unfairly punished for using generic musical elements , with older records becoming more valuable if they are infringed upon by modern singer - songwriters .