LOS ANGELES, Nov 3 — Taylor Swift has another lawsuit on her hands.
Earlier this week, the pop singer filed a counterclaim against a US radio DJ who is suing her over allegations he groped her backstage at a concert in June 2013.
Now Swift is being sued for US$42 million (RM180 million) for allegedly stealing the lyrics to her hit 2014 song “Shake It Off.”
According to the BBC, US R&B singer Jesse Braham has claimed in legal papers Swift stole the words from a song he wrote in 2013 called “Haters Gone Hate.”
Braham — who goes by the stage name Jesse Graham — claims he has copyright ownership of the phrases "haters gone hate" and "playas gone play", which appear in the chorus of Swift's song, the BBC added.
In Braham's song, the chorus comprises: "Haters gone hater, playas gone play/ Watch out for them fakers, they'll fake you everyday."
The chorus of “Shake It Off” features lyrics including: "Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/ And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate." She sings another line: "And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake."
Apart from the lyrical similarity, the songs bear no resemblance musically, the BBC said.
As well as the monetary compensation, Braham wants his name added as a writer on the track.
He told New York Daily News that he had spoken to Swift's record label, Big Machine, four or five times about the issue.
He originally asked to be named as a writer and requested a selfie with the pop star, but was repeatedly dismissed and told his claim had no merit.
“Shake It Off” topped music charts around the world. The video for the song has been watched more than 1.1 billion times on YouTube.
Representatives for Swift have yet to officially comment on the legal case.
