Jury Finds Ye Liable in Copyright Case, $438,558 Damages

A federal jury in Los Angeles found rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and three of his companies liable for copyright infringement on Tuesday, ordering them to pay a total of $438,558 in damages for using an unauthorized sample during a 2021 album listening event.

The verdict stemmed from a weeklong trial in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Jurors unanimously determined that an early demo version of Ye's song "Hurricane," from his album Donda, infringed on the copyrighted instrumental track "MSD PT2," created in 2018 by musicians Khalil AbdulRahman, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff and Josh Mease. The demo was performed at the first Donda listening party on July 22, 2021, at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium before about 40,000 fans. The event, which was also streamed on Apple Music, generated millions in ticket sales, merchandise and related deals, according to testimony.

Ye was held personally liable for $176,153, with his company Yeezy LLC ordered to pay the same amount. Yeezy Supply and Mascotte Holdings were each found liable for more than $40,000, at $41,625 and $44,627 respectively. The plaintiffs, represented by Artist Revenue Advocates, a firm...