Taylor Swift to face trial for copyright suit over 'Shake It Off' lyrics, says US Court

American popstar Taylor Swift is set to face trial for allegedly plagiarising lyrics of her hit single Shake it Off, a US court ruled on Thursday. According to the decision issued by US District Judge Micheal W Fitzgerald, Swift has lost the bid to scrap suit that claimed that the songwriter has copied the lyrics of Shake it Off from a 2014 song Playas Gon' Play by R&B girl group 3LW, ABC News reported. In the ruling, Judge Fitzgerald clarified that although there are "some noticeable differences", Swift's song also has "enough objective similarities" in order to take the case to trial.

The suit filed against Swift claimed highlighted the stark similarities in the lyrics the singer used in her worldwide famous hit. As per ABC News report, Playas Gon'Play lyricists Sean Hall and Nathan Butler highlighted that lines in Shake it Off - "the players gonna' play, play, play, play, play, and the haters gonna' hate, hate, hate, hate, hate" were similar to phrases "players, they gonna' play, and haters, they gonna' hate" in their song. The lyricist duo emphasised that the combination "Playas" and "haters" were uniquely used in their song. Both Hall and Butler are currently seeking unspecified damages.

It is to be noted that the lawsuit against the Grammy-winning singer was first dismissed in 2018, saying the lyrics were too "banal" to be plagiarised, the Guardian reported. However, the lyricist duo appealed to the district court seeking a jury trial. A federal court later revised the decision in October 2019. Take a look at Taylor Swift's Shake it Off video here:

Swift hits back at the claimants

In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Swift said that the men were not "originators or creators" of the words. "They did not invent these common phrases- 'players and haters' nor are they the first to use them in a song,” the representative told the Guardian, under conditions of anonymity. The person also expressed confidence that the original writers of Shake it Off "will prevail."

Meanwhile, the lawyers of Hall and Butler have vested their belief on the court, saying that "it did the right thing." “Our clients are finally moving closer to the justice they so richly deserve. The opinion … is especially gratifying to them because it reinforces the idea that their creativity and unique expression cannot be misappropriated without any retribution", the Guardian reported, quoting lawyer Marina Bogorad. The song Playas Gon' Play by 3LW is chartered at No. 21 in the UK and No. 81 in the US, while Swift's Shake it Off lists at No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 in the US and also went on to become the highest-sold single of her career.

(Image: @TaylorSwift/Instagram)