Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign have settled a federal copyright infringement lawsuit brought against them by Bruce Sudano, Donna Summer's second husband and executor of the late singer's estate. The court documents — filed June 20 and seen by Pitchfork — do not disclose the terms of the settlement, but indicate the case is being dismissed with prejudice.
Sudano filed his lawsuit against West and Ty Dolla $ign in February, claiming the artists ripped off Summer's “I Feel Love” without permission for their song “¥$'s “Good (Don't Die).” Sudano also claimed that the musicians had requested approval for the 1977 hit, but were denied by Summer's estate and record label, Universal Music Enterprises. After being denied permission, West and Ty Dolla $ign “used the song's iconic melody as the hook for their offending song and essentially re-recorded key, instantly recognizable parts of 'I FEEL LOVE' almost verbatim using a vocalist who it's like summer, with minor changes to the lyrics (also done without permission),” Sudano claimed in his lawsuit.
“Good (Don't Die)” featured West and Ty Dolla $ign's Vultures 1 when it was first released on digital streaming platforms. For the most part, it hasn't been officially available for several months now.
When reached by Pitchfork, Stanton “Larry” Stein, Bruce Sudano's attorney, had no comment. Pitchfork has emailed Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's respective attorneys for comment and more information.
