Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign have resolved a copyright infringement lawsuit with the estate of the late Donna Summer regarding an unauthorized interpolation in their song “Good (Don’t Die)” on Vultures 1.
Court documents obtained by People revealed that both parties have reached a settlement agreement that resolves all claims in the lawsuit. Each party will be responsible for their own legal costs as part of the agreement.
According to Larry Stein, the lead counsel for Summer’s estate, Kanye will not be permitted to use Summer’s music moving forward. Stein stated, “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.”
Following the filing of the lawsuit in February, “Good (Don’t Die)” was removed from Vultures 1 on Apple Music and Spotify, where it remains unavailable. The estate alleges that Kanye and Ty Dolla Sign were denied permission to use the sample, prompting them to re-record the melody using a soundalike singer with slight lyric modifications.
Donna Summer, known as the Queen of Disco, passed away in 2012 at the age of 63. Prior to this legal matter, Kanye faced backlash from Ozzy Osbourne for sampling a portion of a 1983 live performance of “War Pigs” without permission. Osbourne accused Kanye of being an antisemite and causing harm to others, stating he wanted no association with him.