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Updated April 10th, 2021 at 16:50 IST

Marshmello wins Arty's Copyright lawsuit over his 2018 double platinum track 'Happier'

DJ Marshmello ended up facing a lawsuit from a fellow Russian DJ and EDM producer Arty, over his 2018 hit track Happier. Now, Marshmello has won the lawsuit

Reported by: Mamta Raut
Marshmello
Source: Marshmello Instagram | Image:self
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DJ Marshmello ended up facing a lawsuit from a fellow Russian DJ and EDM producer Arty, over his 2018 hit track Happier. In a complaint that was filed on Monday in California, Arty accused the writers of Happier of ‘willfully copying’ his remix of OneRepublic’s track I Lived. Now, a recent development to the lawsuit unveils that a judge rejected the copyright lawsuit, as reported by Variety.

The Russian DJ claimed that Marshmello’s Happier ripped off the synthesizer melody from his 2014 remix. The EDM producer was represented by Richard Busch, the attorney who previously represented the Marvin Gaye family in the infamous Blurred Lines lawsuit. On Thursday, April 8 while ruling his judgement, US District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez said that Arty had given up ownership of the remix composition in his contract with OneRepublic and hence has no grounds to sue Marshmello.

OneRepublic released the original version of I Lived under the banner of Interscope Records. As reported by the portal, the label then hired Arty, whose legal name is Artem Stoliarov, to come up with a remix for the song, the label used its standard remix agreement. According to the contract, the Russian DJ was paid a flat fee in order to give up his royalties to the song.

Marshmello was represented by Robert Jacobs of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. The complaint saw Arty targeting Marshmello (Christopher Comstock), Bastille frontman Daniel Campbell Smith and producer Steve Mac for allegedly stealing the elements from the original composition of the remixed track including a repeating synthesizer. The Russian DJ was seeking “actual damages in addition to Defendants’ profits both domestically and relating to foreign sales of other exploitation of ‘Happier’ that were manufactured, distributed or otherwise infringed domestically” along with “along with a “running royalty on all future exploitations of ‘Happier’ following a judgement in an amount to be determined”, as detailed in the Lawsuit.

The song Happier was released by Marshmello in collaboration with Bastille back in the year 2018. Upon its release, the track ended up peaking at Number Two on the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. The track eventually also earned double-platinum status.

(Promo Image Source: Marshmello Instagram)

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Published April 9th, 2021 at 12:15 IST

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