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Katy Perry
American singer
- Entries
- 11
- On the record
- 10
- Stories
- 2
- Latest entry
- Nov 22, 2024
The record
Katy Perry, whose legal name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, has performed as Katy Perry since 2002, and she appears under her legal name in the court records that make up most of her file. Two cases run through it: the U.S. copyright suit over her 2013 song Dark Horse, and an Australian trademark dispute with designer Katie Taylor, who held the registered KATIE PERRY trade mark for clothing.
In the Dark Horse case, Christian hip-hop artist Marcus Gray, known as Flame, and two co-plaintiffs said the song's repeating instrumental figure copied their 2008 track Joyful Noise. A federal jury found Perry and her co-defendants liable in 2019 and awarded $2.8 million. The trial judge vacated the award and entered judgment for the defendants, and in March 2022 the Ninth Circuit affirmed, holding that the figure was made of commonplace musical elements that copyright does not protect.
In Australia, a Federal Court judge ruled in April 2023 that Perry and her company Kitty Purry had infringed Taylor's mark, ordered additional damages and refused to cancel the registration; her company Killer Queen was not found liable. In November 2024 the Full Federal Court set those orders aside, dismissed Taylor's case and ordered the KATIE PERRY registration cancelled, staying that order pending any High Court special leave process.
Roles and honours on the record
- 2002 Music artist, adopted the name Katy Perry source
- 2015 Super Bowl halftime show performer source
- 2016-2022 Defendant (as Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson), Gray v. Hudson, C.D. Cal. No. 2:15-cv-05642 and Ninth Circuit No. 20-55401 source
- 2023-2024 Second respondent, Taylor v Killer Queen, LLC, Federal Court of Australia source
Every entry, newest first
- Ruled
Ninth Circuit ruled 3-0 and refused to reinstate the Dark Horse verdict, Billboard reported. Katy Perry's $2.78M Dark Horse verdict vacated; appeal fails
- Ruled
Judge Snyder vacated the jury's liability and damages verdicts in Gray v. Perry and conditionally granted a new trial. Biggest celebrity lawsuits ranked: Apple's $1B Samsung win leads
- Ruled
Judge Christina A. Snyder vacated the Dark Horse jury verdict, Variety reported. Katy Perry's $2.78M Dark Horse verdict vacated; appeal fails
- Filed
Perry and co-defendants filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit, Bloomberg Law reported. Katy Perry's $2.78M Dark Horse verdict vacated; appeal fails
- Ruled
Federal jury in Los Angeles found Perry liable in the Dark Horse copyright case, Billboard reported. Katy Perry's $2.78M Dark Horse verdict vacated; appeal fails
Stories in this file
Celebrity ยท โ๏ธ Katy Perry's $2.78M Dark Horse verdict vacated; appeal fails
A judge vacated the jury award in 2020; the Ninth Circuit refused to restore it in 2022. Flame's lawyer was weighing options. ๐ฃ๏ธ
Money ยท โ๏ธ Biggest celebrity lawsuits ranked: Apple's $1B Samsung win leads
Paltrow's $1 countersuit trails. Apple's award was cut to $539M before the two sides settled on undisclosed terms. ๐
The record, entry by entry
- 2013 Official The defendants created Dark Horse in 2013 and released it on the album Prism. Perry testified at trial that its ostinato was the studio fragment she responded to most positively. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, opinion, No. 20-55401
- 2016-11 Filed Marcus Gray, Emanuel Lambert and Chike Ojukwu filed their operative copyright complaint against Hudson and her co-defendants, alleging that Dark Horse copied an ostinato from Joyful Noise. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, opinion, No. 20-55401
- 2019-08 Ruled After a bifurcated jury trial from July 17 to August 1, 2019, the jury found the defendants liable for copyright infringement and awarded $2.8 million in damages. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, opinion, No. 20-55401
- 2022-03-10 Ruled The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's order vacating the jury award and granting judgment as a matter of law to Perry and the other defendants, holding that the ostinatos consisted entirely of commonplace musical elements. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, opinion, No. 20-55401
- 2023-04-21 Ruled Justice Markovic of the Federal Court of Australia delivered judgment in Taylor v Killer Queen, LLC (No 5). According to the Full Court's later summary, the court found that Hudson and Kitty Purry had infringed the KATIE PERRY mark, ordered additional damages, found Killer Queen not liable and refused to cancel the registration. Federal Court of Australia, Full Court judgment [2024] FCAFC 149
- 2024-11-22 Ruled The Full Federal Court allowed the appeal and cross-appeal in part, set aside the primary judge's orders, dismissed Taylor's application and ordered the KATIE PERRY registration cancelled, staying that order pending any High Court special leave process. Taylor was ordered to pay the appeal costs. Federal Court of Australia, Full Court judgment [2024] FCAFC 149
Documents
Sources behind this file
- Billboard report on the Ninth Circuit ruling
- Variety report on the vacated verdict
- Law360 report on the March 2020 hearing
- Amended minutes, Gray v. Perry (C.D. Cal.), docket entry 527
- Bloomberg Law report on the appeal and the damages split
- Billboard report on the liability verdict
- Billboard report on Perry's testimony at trial
- The Hollywood Reporter report on the summary judgment denial