Katy Perry & Co Writers Owe $278 Million For “Dark Horse” Lawsuit Loss

A jury has determined that Katy Perry, her collaborators, and her label, Capitol Records, must pay $2.78 million in damages to Marcus Gray for copying elements of his track “Joyful Noise,” and using them in 2013s hit song “Dark Horse.”

Perry, Capitol Records, co-writer Sarah Hudson and producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Cirkut were found liable for copyright infringement by a jury split between those making a liability determination, and another party who dealt with awarding damages. The latter group heard how “Dark Horse” made $41 million with the singer taking home just over $3 million. Despite Capitol Records reviving the most money from the song they claim that after expenses they were left with just a fraction of that amount.

The jury decided that Gray was owed $2.78 million in damages, with $550,000 coming from Perry herself. It was determined that Christian rapper Flame was responsible for 22.5 percent of the profits earned by “Dark Horse.”

Gray, along with two co-authors filed the lawsuit five years ago, claiming that a 16-second musical  riff was lifted from his 2009 song to create the beat for “Dark Horse.”

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