Two songwriters said Taylor Swift had appropriated their lyrics for her single Shake It Off SUZANNE CORDEIRO/GETTY IMAGESThe lyrics “haters gonna hate” sung by Taylor Swift are too banal to be considered for copyright protection, a US judge ruled yesterday. The judge dismissed a case against Swift after two songwriters argued she had appropriated their lyrics for her number one single Shake It Off. Judge Michael W Fitzgerald said the lyrics were too banal and lacked “the modicum of originality and creativity” required to be protected. Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, who composed the 2001 song Playas Gon’ Play had argued that their lyrics “playas they gonna play, and haters, they gonna hate” had been lifted by Swift. They argued that while short phrases were generally immune from copyright claims, combining the two thoughts did warrant protection.

Source: The Times February 15, 2018 00:03 UTC