Timbaland, Jay-Z, And Ginuwine's Copyright Lawsuit Dismissed

Jay-Z, Timbaland, and Ginuwine are now legally in the clear, after a judge dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit brought against Warner Chappell Music by Ernie Hines. Hines had alleged that the performers illegally sampled his 1969 track “Help Me Put Out The Flame (In My Heart)” in their own music.

The songs alleged to have used the sample unlawfully are Jay-Z's “Paper Chase” (feat. Foxy Brown) and Ginuwine's “Toe 2 Toe,” which Timbaland produced. U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken claims that the three-second riff Timbland used in the beats isn't protected, since it's an interpolation of a musical phrase that's in the public domain. His ruling says that the riff "adds only material that is not original enough to be copyrightable.”

Judge Sides With Timbaland, Jay-Z, And Ginuwine

Coming out on top in the lawsuit isn't the only thing Timbaland has to be excited about, however. Earlier this month, he gave fans an eagerly-anticipated update on the next season of Verzuz, revealing that he and Swizz Beatz are looking to switch things up. “Verzuz is still a baby,” he told AllHipHop. “It was something that was built in the pandemic that’s now a household name. Look how you saying it. Now we back open. To make it have the longevity that we need it to have, we have to reorganize the ship. We have to know how are we scaling up. We have to do things not how people used to us doing things.”

Timbaland's also recently teamed up with Conway The Machine for a new single from his upcoming EP, Textbook Timbo. The EP is yet to have an official release date, but it's expected to drop sometime this year. He also reconnected with Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake this month, unveiling the energetic single "Keep Going Up." What do you think of Timbaland, Jay-Z, and Ginuwine coming out on top in their legal battle? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates on Timbaland, Jay-Z, and Ginuwine.

[Via]