Taylor Swift Lawsuit Settled Before Trial Begins
A lawsuit regarding Taylor Swift’s hit 2014 song, “Shake It Off,” was recently settled before a trial could even be scheduled. Swift was originally accused by songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler for supposedly lifting lines from Hall and Butler’s song, “Playas Gon’ Play.” The lines in question consisted “players gonna play and haters gonna hate,” which form part of “Shake It Off’s” chorus. This dispute between Swift’s team and Hall and Butler’s team was ongoing for five years until settlement. Courts debated for years whether Hall and Butler’s lyrics were protectable under copyright law, ultimately ruling that the lyrics were “lacking the modicum of originality and creativity” to be considered for protection, leading the to case being initially dismissed before being revived in 2019. Hall and Butler have not responded for further comment on their settlement with Taylor Swift, the details of which are still unknown.
