Dua Lipa Scores A Win After Florida Reggae Band’s Copyright Lawsuit Is Dismissed

British singer Dua Lipa and Warner Records have emerged victorious in a copyright infringement lawsuit against South Florida-based Reggae band, Artikal Sound System, who accused her of pirating a song of theirs and remaking it into her hit song Levitating with rapper DaBaby.

According to Reuters and Billboard, the verdict was announced in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday (June 5) by U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes, who noted that band failed to argue that the writers of Levitating had “access” to their song Live Your Life, which they alleged that Dua copied.

Artikal argued that Live Your Life “was played at several concerts, sold several hundred copies of a CD with the song on it and was available through some streaming services.

However, the judge ruled that “plaintiffs’ failure to specify how frequently they performed ‘Live Your Life’ publicly during the specified period, where these performances took place, and the size of the venues and/or audiences precludes the Court from finding that Plaintiffs’ live performances of the song plausibly contributed to its saturation of markets in which Defendants would have encountered it.”

Artikal was advised that they could fix the issues in their argument and file an amended complaint.

Levitating is now certified 4X Platinum in the United States after spending 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 2.

Comprising five members, Artikal was founded in 2012, and describes itself on its official YouTube channel as a Reggae band from Delray Beach, Florida which “blends roots and modern sounds under smooth female vocals” and puts its efforts towards “bringing love, good vibes and a dancing mood wherever they go”.

The band is made up of vocalist Logan Rex, bassist Fabian Acuña, guitarist Chris Montague drummer Adam Kampf and keyboardist Chris Cope.

Artikal released its first full-length album on February 1 last year, while Live Your Life was released on March 29, 2017.

In February 2022, Dua’s 2016 Reggae-Pop/R&B infused collab with Dancehall superstar Sean Paul, No Lie, was certified double platinum in the UK.

Dua also had a “stress free” vacation in Jamaica in March where she enjoyed the offerings of the exclusive Goldeneye resort in Oracabessa Bay in St. Mary and visited several other spots across the island, including a nighttime board game with Popcaan.