Kanye West's Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Dropped

BYLavender AlexandriaPublished on February 13, 20241.6K Views

Celebrity Sightings - Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 - Day Seven

PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 02: Kanye West aka Ye is seen wearing a Balenciaga boxing mouthguard, outside Givenchy, during Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 - Day Seven on October 02, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC Images)

The lawsuit spawned from a video West shared to Instagram in 2021.

Kanye West has seemingly been in legal trouble constantly for years. Some of them have been the kind of purely absurd lawsuits that grab headlines like the Donda Academy lawsuits. They claim that all the windows in the school were removed because West didn't like glass. But much of the legal proceedings have been much more mundane and that was the case with a copyright infringement case spawning from a 2021 video West shared to social media.

Videographer Elijah Graham sued West last year for allegedly stealing a video he recorded and posting it to social media. The video was a clip of West himself discussing his wife and kids while serving meals to homeless people. The video went viral for his seemingly earnest self-reflection. “We’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve publicly done things that were not acceptable as a husband... but I’m here to change the narrative,” West says in the clip. According to Billboard, the lawsuit wasn't being "prosecuted diligently" and Graham ultimately agreed to drop it entirely.

Kanye West Scores Legal Victory

It's pretty good news for West to get this legal drama off of his plate. That's because there could be even more legal drama coming down the pipe soon. West recently released his new album Vultures with Ty Dolla Sign. After a listening party in advance of the album's release he was called out for two uncleared samples on the album. Both the estate of Donna Summer and Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne called out West for using samples despite being denied clearance and either could pursue legal action.

Vultures is still being processed by West's fans and critics alike. The album has received some backlash for its controversial lyrics and seemingly unfinished sound. But some fans are still riding with the project, which sports a myriad of features from some of the biggest names in rap. What do you think of Kanye West escaping a copyright lawsuit even amidst threats of more legal action? Let us know in the comment section below.

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About The Author

Lavender Alexandria

Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.