Kanye West is facing legal action from Donna Summer’s estate for allegedly creating an unauthorized soundalike of her iconic song “I Feel Love” after being denied permission to sample the original track. The late singer’s estate has filed a lawsuit against Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, and Kanye’s record label, among others, claiming that Kanye sought to sample “I Feel Love” for a track on his ‘Vultures’ album.
Key Takeaway
Kanye West is facing a lawsuit from Donna Summer’s estate for allegedly using an unauthorized version of her hit song “I Feel Love” after being denied permission to sample the original track. The estate is seeking damages and an injunction to halt further distribution of the contested song.
Unauthorized Usage and Lawsuit
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Larry Stein, alleges that Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign approached Donna Summer’s estate for clearance to use her hit song, but their request was denied. Despite the denial, the estate claims that Kanye proceeded to release the album with the contested track, “Good (Don’t Die),” which bore a striking resemblance to “I Feel Love.” The estate asserts that Kanye’s attempt to create an interpolation of the song instead of using the actual track does not absolve them from copyright infringement.
Impact and Legal Action
Donna Summer’s estate has taken action to have the song removed from major streaming platforms, citing that it had already been streamed millions of times, causing harm to the estate. The lawsuit seeks significant damages and an injunction to prevent further distribution of the song with the infringing sample.
