Rapper agrees to pay $450,000 to singer to avoid copyright infringement trial
Nicki Minaj and Tracy Chapman have reached a settlement to avoid trial in the copyright infringement lawsuit over the rapper’s leaked track “Sorry,” which interpolated Chapman’s “Baby Can I Hold You” without permission.
According to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Minaj agreed to pay Chapman $450,000, “inclusive of all costs and attorney fees incurred to date,” stemming from the October 2018 lawsuit. Reps for Minaj and Chapman did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment, but Chapman said in a statement to the New York Times, “As a songwriter and an independent publisher I have been known to be protective of my work. I have never authorized the use of my songs for samples or requested a sample. This lawsuit was a last resort.” A lawyer for Minaj also told the New York Times, “We settled for one reason only. It would have cost us more to go to trial.” The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
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