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Lizzo's Legal Battle: Copyright Lawsuit Over Unreleased Track Revealed

Lizzo finds herself in another legal controversy with a new copyright infringement lawsuit. The complaint centers on an unreleased track that allegedly samples a 1970s soul song by Sam Dees. Despite the song never being commercially released, the rights holder claims a 13-second TikTok preview creates liability. This legal challenge comes as Lizzo has expressed frustration about the music industry's streaming algorithms and connecting with her fanbase.

Key Points: Lizzo Faces Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Over Unreleased Song

  • Lawsuit alleges Lizzo sampled 70s soul tune 'Win or Lose (We Tried)' without permission
  • Copyright claim involves 13-second TikTok video referencing Sydney Sweeney
  • GRC Trust states negotiations reached impasse before legal action
  • Lizzo's team emphasizes song was never commercially released or monetized
3 min read

Lizzo served with a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement

Singer Lizzo sued for copyright infringement over unreleased track sampled in TikTok video. GRC Trust claims 13-second preview creates liability despite no commercial release.

"We are surprised that the GRC Trust filed this lawsuit - Lizzo's Representatives"

Los Angeles, Oct 23

Controversies don’t seem to end for singer-songwriter Lizzo. In a fresh turn of events, the singer-songwriter has been hit by a copyright infringement complaint.

The lawsuit has been filed over an unreleased track. The ‘About Damn Time’ hitmaker used a snippet of the song in question on a TikTok video over summer, and referenced Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle advert, singing, “B****, I got good jeans like I’m Sydney”, reports ‘Female First UK’.

Lizzo has been accused of sampling elements of the '70s soul tune ‘Win or Lose (We Tried)’ by Sam Dees in a new filing submitted on October 21 by Georgia-based rights holder GRC Trust. Jimmy Ginn is listed as the publishing rights owner. Although she hasn't made any money from the track since it has not been released, the complainant argues that the 13-second preview on social media was enough exposure to make her liable.

As per ‘Female First UK’, the GRC Trust states that it attempted to come to an agreement with the Juice singer, but they “reached an impasse, necessitating the filing of this case”.

In response, Lizzo's representatives said, “We are surprised that the GRC Trust filed this lawsuit. To be clear, the song has never been commercially released or monetised, and no decision has been made at this time regarding any future commercial release of the song”.

Meanwhile, Lizzo recently shared that she was "stressing out" over streaming algorithms amid fears her fans "don’t even know" she released new music.

Last month, the pop star released the mixtape My Face Hurts From Smiling - featuring 13 tracks and contributions from SZA and Doja Cat, but Lizzo confessed to being worried about the "shambles" of the music industry as her new recordings don't seem to be reaching her fanbase.

In a post on TikTok, she said, "The music industry is in complete shambles right now, and you can use that to your advantage. Back in the day, the music industry was very algorithmic, as any other industry was, but that industry was controlled to a certain extent. Now that we are in the digital streaming age, there is no control over the algorithm, and it is stressing people the f*** out. Myself included, every major artist besides Beyonce has dropped music this year, or is planning to drop music this year”.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
I feel bad for Lizzo though - she's already stressed about streaming algorithms and now this lawsuit. The music industry seems really tough these days. Hope she resolves this amicably.
A
Arjun K
Interesting case! In India, we've seen similar copyright disputes in Bollywood. The key question is whether 13 seconds on social media constitutes infringement when the song isn't commercially released. The courts will have to decide.
S
Sarah B
As an independent musician myself, I understand both sides. Copyright holders need protection, but artists also need creative freedom. Maybe they should have settled this privately instead of going to court.
V
Vikram M
The timing seems suspicious - right when she's expressing concerns about her new music not reaching fans. Could this be a publicity stunt? Either way, hope the truth comes out. 🤔
K
Kavya N
Respectfully, I think Lizzo's team should have been more careful. Even if it's not monetized, using someone else's work without permission isn't right. Original artists from the 70s deserve recognition for their contributions to music history.

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