No More Copyright Rap for 50 Cent
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Monday, 30 October 2006 |
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Rapper 50 Cent is now free to party like it's Shorty's birthday.
A federal judge has dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit accusing the "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" purveyor of pilfering the opening line of the 2003 hit "In Da Club" frm 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell's 1994 tune, "It's Your Birthday."
U.S. District Judge Paul Huck ruled Friday that the phrase in question—"Go Sheila, it's your birthday"—was a "common, unoriginal and noncopyrightable element of the song" and was not entitled to protection.
Of course, 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson, didn't mention someone named Sheila in the opener of his catchy single, but instead informed a dude who went by Shorty that it was his birthday and that "we're gonna party like it's you're birthday." Etc., etc.
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