The controversial US singer Lady Gaga has reportedly been named in a copyright infringement lawsuit over her hit single, ‘Judas’.
The lawsuit, which was filed by aspiring singer Rebecca Francescatti in a federal court in the US earlier this month (August 2011), alleges that Lady Gaga’s single ‘Judas’ was lifted from one of her own compositions.
Francescatti claims the song, which was released in 2011 and included on Gaga’s latest album Born This Way, is strikingly similar to a piece she wrote called ‘Juda’ back in 1999. She says that Brian Gaynor, her former bass player, now works for a music firm which helped to create 17 tracks for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way album.
Francescatti’s lawyer, Chris Niro, said that his client was seeking damages for the infringement, and explained:
“Though the songs are different styles, the composition is the same and the chorus is the same melody… (Francescatti) is seeking recognition for what she created”.
Copyright infringement lawsuits are very common in the entertainment industry, particularly within music and film, and it is for this reason that professional indemnity insurance is so important for all artists and film-makers.