Dua Lipa Is Facing Another Copyright Lawsuit Over Levitating – Here’s What We Know So Far
Dua Lipa is facing another copyright claim over her 2020 track Levitating.
Musician Bosko Kante has alleged that Dua used a recording made with his talk box in remixes of the hit song without his permission.
It’s the third time that the star has been hit with a lawsuit relating to the song – here’s what we know about the case so far.
What is the latest lawsuit about?
Bosko’s lawyers filed a suit in Los Angeles on 31 July, which was obtained by Music Business Worldwide. In the suit, they claim that he created a talk box track for use on the original version of Levitating, which appeared on Dua’s 2020 album Future Nostalgia.
A talk box is a device which allows musicians to use their mouth to alter the sound of their instruments.
However, they argue, he did not grant permission for the track to appear on later iterations of Levitating, such as the version featuring rapper DaBaby, another remix featuring Madonna and Missy Elliott and a rendition performed at the American Music Awards.
“All three remixes sampled and incorporated a greater amount of [the] Plaintiff’s work than used in the original version,” his lawyers said. “Defendants did not seek or receive any authorisation or permission to use the composition or sound recording of plaintiff’s work from plaintiff”.
The lawyers also stated that Bosko “made numerous attempts to resolve this matter short of litigation, but such efforts were unsuccessful, due to [the] Defendants’ unwillingness to cooperate or accept responsibility for this blatant infringement of Plaintiff’s copyrights”.
They went on to claim that Bosko is entitled to more than $20 million (around £16 million).
Who is Bosko Kante?
Bosko is a musician and producer who previously earned a Grammy for his work with Kanye West. He has pioneered a modern version of the classic talk box.
What has Dua Lipa said?
Dua Lipa and her label Warner Music Group have not responded to the claims, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for Dua and Warner Records for comment, and is awaiting responses.
What happened to the previous Levitating court cases?
Back in 2022, the American reggae band Artikal Sound System claimed that Levitating had copied its hook from their song Live Your Life, which was released in 2017. A few days later L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer filed a similar suit claiming that the song’s opening had echoed their tracks Wiggle And Giggle All Night and Don Diablo, released in 1979 and 1980 respectively.
In June this year, Artikal Sound System’s lawsuit was dismissed, with a federal judge ruling that there was no evidence that the writers behind Levitating had ever had access to Live Your Life. The group’s lawyer described the decision as disappointing, and that Artikal Sound System were considering their next move.
The second case is ongoing, but Dua’s team claim that the star has “never heard” the tracks in question.