Katy Perry Must Pay $2.7 Million For Copying Song From Christian Rapper

Katy Perry and her co-defendants were ordered to pay $2.78 million for copying a Christian rapper’s song for her 2013 Juicy J-assisted Billboard Hot 100 hit, ‘Dark Horse.’

According to a report the Associated Press, a jury decided that 22.5 percent of the profits made from ‘Dark Horse’ should be awarded to the plaintiffs Christian rapper Marcus Gray (aka Flame) and his co-writers—Emanuel Lambert and Chike Ojukwu—who accused Katy her collaborators of copying their 2008 song, ‘Joyful Noise.’

On Monday (July 29), the jury agreed with Gray's claim that Perry copied the instrumental to ‘Joyful Noise’ for ‘Dark Horse.’ Katy is liable for $550,000 while the other parties, like the song’s producer Dr. Luke, will have to pay $60,000 and Max Martin was ordered to pay $250,000.

There's no word on how much Juicy J will have to pay, but considering the jury found all six songwriters liable, it does appear that he'll have to pay something. Perry's label, Capitol Records, will have to pay $1.2 million.

The $2.78 million judgment fell little short of the $20 million Gray and his co-writers initially sought in their 2014 lawsuit, but they were pleased with the outcome.

“We weren’t here seeking to punish anyone,” Gray’s attorney, Michael A. Kahn, told the AP. “Our clients came here seeking justice, and they feel they received justice from a jury of their peers.”

Katy’s attorney, Christine Lepera, said they plan to appeal the decision. “The writers of 'Dark Horse' consider this a travesty of justice,” she said.

You can check out both songs below to listen for similarities.