Nicki Minaj Receives A Positive Ruling In Copyright Infringement Case

In a ruling that protects the industry practice of writing a new song based on existing material, Nicki Minaj was found not guilty of copyright infringement when she wrote a song based on Tracy Chapman’s “Baby Can I Hold You”.

U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips decided that Minaj’s inspiration from Chapman’s song constitutes “fair use” and doesn’t break any existing laws.

Judge Phillips added:

“Artists usually experiment with works before seeking licenses from rights holders and rights holders typically ask to see a proposed work before approving a license. A ruling uprooting these common practices would limit creativity and stifle innovation within the music industry.”

Minaj’s representatives tried to get a hold of Chapman for permission to use the song, but Chapman refused time and again.

Chapman finally heard the song after an unreleased version found its way to DJ Flex in New York, who played it on the air.

There is still the question of whether or not Minaj was legally allowed to release the song to DJ Flex, as that falls under a breach of distributing copyrighted material before the decision was made.

Source
Variety