Nicki Minaj has agreed to pay Tracy Chapman AUD $579,000 following a two-year legal dispute over copyright infringement.
The battle began in October 2018 when Tracy Chapman filed a copyright infringement suit against Nicki Minaj for allegedly sampling her track ‘Baby Can I Hold You’ without permission.
While the offending song ‘Sorry’ was never officially released by Minaj, it was played on radio and online after being leaked in 2018.
As reported by The Guardian, court documents made public this week reveal that the pair reached an out-of-court settlement last month.
Reportedly, representatives for Minaj repeatedly requested permission from Chapman to sample ‘Baby Can I Hold You’, but were denied.
According to The Guardian, Chapman is on a “do not sample” list of artists who don’t give the rights to use their work.
Back in September, a US district judge ruled in favour of Minaj by concluding that her use of the song was not unlawful.
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However, prior to settlement, the case was set to go to trial to determine how the song was leaked.
If Minaj had been found responsible for leaking the track, she may have faced legal ramifications.
In a statement following the settlement, Chapman maintained that Minaj “chose not to hear” her refusals over sampling the track.
“I am glad to have this matter resolved and grateful for this legal outcome which affirms that artists’ rights are protected by law and should be respected by other artists,” she said.
“I was asked in this situation numerous times for permission to use my song; in each instance, politely and in a timely manner, I unequivocally said no.
“Apparently Ms Minaj chose not to hear and used my composition despite my clear and express intentions.”
Meanwhile, Minaj is yet to speak publicly about the settlement.
Check out ‘Baby Can I Hold You’ by Tracy Chapman:
