At the point when copyright laws entraps you, the only thing left is to either confront the law or swiftly settle the issue ‘back door’ to end it all. This is what has befallen American rapper Nicki Minaj when she encroached on a copyright issue with singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman subsequent to sampling her song.
The case was nearly making a beeline for court in California, but the 56-year-old singer has acknowledged Minaj’s proposal of judgment in their copyright encroachment case. Back in December 2020, Minaj offered to pay Chapman $450,000, and she also accepted the agreement. This arrangement hence drops the trial officially scheduled for this year.
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According to the content in the filing document, it presently says that:
“Judgment shall be entered in favor of plaintiff Tracy Chapman and against Defendant in the amount of $450,000,” as the sum was “inclusive of all costs and attorney fees incurred to date.”
After the consensus with Nicki Minaj, Tracy Chapman was happy that artists rights are protected. She said:
“I am glad to have this matter resolved and grateful for this legal outcome which affirms that artists’ rights are protected by law and should be respected by other artists. “I was asked in this situation numerous times for permission to use my song; in each instance, politely and in a timely manner, I unequivocally said no. Apparently, Ms. Minaj chose not to hear and used my composition despite my clear and express intentions.”
Chapman said she’s “been known to be protective” of her work and asserted she’s never approved the use of her tunes for samples or mentioned a sample. As indicated by Chapman the claim against Minaj was a push to protect creative enterprise and expression of songwriters and independent publishers like herself.
The case was initially filed in October 2018, only months after Minaj dropped her fourth studio Album Queen. In the days paving the way to the August 2018 release, the 10-time Grammy nominee proposed there was an issue with one of the tunes.
Minaj also reacted to the claim in February 2019.
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