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Donna Summer's second husband Bruce Sudano sued Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign on February 27, 2024, over allegedly interpolating Summer's track, I Love You, in Good (Don't Lie) from the 2024 album Vultures 1 without permission. Donna Summer's estate sued them for using her classic without permission. The lawsuit filed was strict about the violation and stated that Ye used recognizable portions of I Feel Love when her record label, Universal Music Enterprises, denied them permission to do so. The lawsuit stated:
“Summer’s estate wanted no association with West’s controversial history and specifically rejected West’s proposed use. In the face of this rejection, defendants arrogantly and unilaterally decided they would simply steal I Feel Love and use it without permission.”
Donna Summer's I Feel Love came out as a part of the singer's fifth studio album, I Remember Yesterday in 1977. The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts of several countries across the world. The song sold 1.07 million copies by June 2013, making it the 103rd best-selling musical number in history.
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The lawsuit between Donna Summer's estate and Kanye West's group is finally settled
On June 20, the legal teams of both parties “entered into a settlement agreement that is a full and final settlement of all the claims in the action.” Larry Stein, who is the lead attorney on Sudano's side, explained,
“We did not license the song. As part of the settlement, they have agreed not to distribute or otherwise use the song. So we got what we wanted.”
As of this writing, all streaming platforms have removed the song and it will officially remain out of circulation until any future developments state otherwise.
According to the official lawsuit filed by Summer's estate, the lawsuit wasn't about compensating the singer's estate for securing the rights to the song. Sudano's side explained that it was more about the freedom of the artist to decide where and how they wanted their art to manifest itself.
“This lawsuit is about more than defendants’ mere failure to pay the appropriate licensing fee for using another’s musical property. It is also about the rights of artists to decide how their works are used and presented to the public, and the need to prevent anyone from simply stealing creative works when they cannot secure the right to use them legally.”
Ozzy Osbourne slammed Kanye West over using his Iron Man sample without permission
On February 10, 2024, Ozzy Osborne also hit out at Kanye West for using Iron Man as a sample in Carnival from Vultures 1 despite being denied explicit permission.
The 75-year-old tagged Kanye West in a tweet and explained that Ye had asked for his permission to sample a part of his live performance of Iron Man from 1983, but was refused. However, Kanye West and his group used the music without the vocals.
“He went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night. I want no association with this man!” exclaimed Ozzy Osbourne in his tweet.
The singer cited that Kanye West was antisemitic and has caused untold heartache to many' as the reason for his denial of associating with him.
Kanye's association with anti-Semitism started when he posted a series of controversial tweets that led platforms like X and Instagram to suspend his accounts.
The 47-year-old received criticism from across the industry as several celebrities and politicians criticized Kanye West and brands like Balenciaga, and Adidas terminated their association with Ye.
The rapper issued an apology for his words and actions in a post shared on December 26. It was written in Hebrew and is translated into English below.
“I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused."
Kanye West also explained that he learned from his experience and was also trying to develop greater sensitivity and understanding. He ended the post by assuring that he was trying to promote greater unity.
