Billboard magazine reported that Perry must pay more than $550,000 herself, while the Capitol Records was responsible for the greater part of the sum due.
The jury on Monday in Los Angeles said Perry’s chart-topping hit ‘Dark Horse’ was copied from the Christian rap tune ‘Joyful Noise’ by Flame, which is the stage name for Marcus Gray.
Flame first recorded “Joyful Noise” in 2009, and Perry released “Dark Horse” as part of a 2013 album called “Prism.” Gray and two co-authors filed a lawsuit in 2014, claiming Perry had stolen the song from them.
Though Perry said that neither she nor her co-writers had ever heard “Joyful Noise,” Gray’s attorneys said the Christian song was widely distributed and had several million views on various outlets, including 2 million apiece on two separate You Tube channels.
Here’s a video clip of “Joyful Noise” that has more than 2 million views:
Here is the official YouTube video of “Dark Horse,” which has more than 2.6 billion views and was the No. 1 hit for four weeks in 2014.
Gray’s attorney, Michael A. Kahn, said during closing comments this week that Perry started her career as a Christian musician, and that mainstream music was trying to push Christian music to the side.
“They’re trying to shove Mr. Gray into some gospel music alleyway that no one ever visits,” Kahn said.
Perry testified on the second day of the seven-day trial, according to the report. When attorneys tried to play “Dark Horse” in the courtroom, there was a technical glitch. Perry responded by saying they could hear the song personally from her.
“I could perform it live,” said Perry, 34, who’s also an “American Idol” judge.
Though she did not perform her song live at the trial, there was a full playing of each song during closing arguments.
The nine-member jury panel made their conclusion Monday that Perry copied the song by Gray, and then they went into the penalty phase this week, culminating with the award to Gray.
Though Perry testified during the trial, she was not at the court this week for the verdict.
