A 'Dark Horse': Jury finds Katy Perry guilty of copying Christian rap song
Katy Perry is in hot water after a California jury concluded that her song is a copyright infringement.
The lawsuit, brought on by Christian rapper Marcus Gray - also known as Flame, says Katy Perry's 2013 hit 'Dark Horse' copied the underlying beat from his song, 'Joyful Noise'.
At the trial, Perry and Dr Luke, who produced the song, said they had never heard the song. Gray offered the theory that they might have heard the song on YouTube or MySpace.
Perry and Luke later called in experts to the witness stand to show a lack of any substantial similarity of protected expression. The pop artist even offered to perform live in court, but due to the sound system not working and a shooting outside the courtroom, it didn't happen.
Most copyright cases either settle or are dismissed before ever getting to trial. Jurors began deliberating after closing arguments on Thursday and returned their decision on Monday afternoon. The verdict means the case will proceed to a damages phase.
Is it copyright infringement? Be the judge by comparing and voting below.
Here is Flame's song:
And this is Katy Perry's 'Dark Horse':
Here's a clip of the songs together, for your convenience:
Done comparing? Now vote: