Songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer are suing famous artist Dua Lipa, along with songwriters Sarah Hudson and Stephen Kozmeniuk, over alleged copyright infringement related to Lipa’s hit song, “Levitating.”
Brown and Linzer have claimed the song rips off their 1979 disco tune, “Wiggle and Giggle All Night (Wiggle),” CBS News reported Wednesday. The plaintiffs successfully proved “Wiggle” and “Levitating” were “strikingly similar,” U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled. The judge’s ruling meant there was sufficient evidence to continue the litigation process, despite the defendants filing a motion to dismiss the matter in July.
Dua Lipa and two songwriters who worked on her single “Levitating” are being sued by two songwriters who claim the song rips off their 1979 disco song. https://t.co/KmDVMN4uW2
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 10, 2023
“Like ‘Wiggle’ and ‘Don Diablo,’ ‘Levitating’ begins with a ‘signature melody’ that Plaintiffs claim Defendants copied,” Failla said, according to CBS.
“Levitating [sic] also allegedly copies a repetitive rhythm from the prior works,” she continued.
Dua Lipa and her songwriters “were inspired by past musical eras in composing the music on [the album] ‘Future Nostalgia,’” Brown and Linzer claimed, according to the outlet. They further alleged that “after noticing another song on the album resemble a 1987 disco song, the defendants credited the original songwriters,” CBS reported. (RELATED: Ed Sheeran Wins Copyright Infringement Case)
Additionally, Brown and Linzer alleged the melody from their 1979 song can be heard six times in Lipa’s “Levitating,” which comprises one-third of the entire song, according to court documents cited by CBS. The rhythm repeats 16 times, the outlet continued.
Dua Lipa’s mega-hit has come under fire for copyright infringement before. Florida reggae group Artikal Sound System previously alleged “Levitating” ripped off one of their songs, according to Reuters. The group proceeded to file suit against Lipa, but a judge dismissed the case in June.