Dua Lipa Wins Copyright Lawsuit Over ‘Levitating’

Dua Lipa has won a legal victory in a copyright lawsuit over her 2020 hit “Levitating.” A judge dismissed the case, according to Billboard, marking the end of a dispute over whether the song copied elements from older tracks.

Lipa originally faced two copyright lawsuits in March 2022. The first, from Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System, was dismissed in June 2023. The second, filed by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, alleged that “Levitating” borrowed its melody from their 1979 song “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” and 1980’s “Don Diablo.” Today, Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed the case in a New York court, ruling that the similarities between the songs were not legally protected under copyright law.

According to Variety, Brown and Linzer claimed that the opening melody of “Levitating” was a “duplicate” of their songs. They also pointed to Lipa’s past statements about taking inspiration from previous musical eras to create a “retro” sound.

However, the judge ruled that the shared elements—specifically, a descending musical scale—were too common to qualify for copyright protection. She cited a similar 2023 case, Structured Asset Sales, LLC v. Ed Sheeran, in which Sheeran successfully defended himself against claims that he copied Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” The ruling reaffirmed that a chord progression and rhythmic pattern alone are not enough to establish copyright infringement.

The court acknowledged that listeners might notice similarities between the songs but concluded that “there can be no substantial similarity (and thus no copyright violation) as a matter of law, because ‘the similarity between [the] works concerns only non-copyrightable elements of the [P]laintiff[s’] work.”

Jason T. Brown, an attorney for Linzer and Brown, told Variety they “respectfully disagree” with the ruling and plan to appeal. “Even the defense expert acknowledged that people can hear the similarities between ‘Don Diablo’ and ‘Levitating,’” he said. He argued that courts are increasingly focused on technical, written analysis of music rather than how it is actually experienced by audiences. “The soul of a song doesn’t live in a court brief. It lives in the sound, the feel, and the performance — and that’s what juries should be allowed to hear and judge.”

Meanwhile, Lipa is celebrating another milestone—the fifth anniversary of her Grammy-winning album Future Nostalgia. To mark the occasion, she has released a new remix of her hit song “Physical,” featuring Australian pop artist Troye Sivan.

Released Friday (March 28), the remix features Sivan adding a new verse to the energetic synth-pop track. “We’re verging on the edge of spiritual / You’re deeper than you thought, it’s a miracle,” he sings, seamlessly blending into the song’s original production. The remix accompanies a vinyl reissue of Future Nostalgia.