Taylor Swift Wins Court Ruling Dismissing ‘Absurd’ Copyright Lawsuit Over Song Lyrics
Categoria: Musica
A judge rejects accusations from a self-published Florida poet, ruling that she can't sue Taylor over “basic ideas” and “common observations.”
Por Billboard | 06/07/2026
Taylor Swift has finally shaken off a copyright lawsuit over song lyrics that her attorneys had called “absurd.” A federal judge on Monday (July 6) dismissed an infringement case filed by Kimberly Marasco, a self-published Florida poet who claimed that the superstar stole lyrics from her poems for more than a dozen songs, spanning Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department. Related Taylor Swift Trademarks: Every Word & Symbol She Owns, From ‘Swiftie’ to ‘Taylor’s Version’ Naoshi Fujikura of Universal Music Japan on Japan's Unique Superfan Culture & Global Ambitions: Billboard Global Power Players Interview Katsumi Kuroiwa of Avex on the Bruno Mars Publishing Deal & Taking the Company Worldwide: Billboard Global Power Players Interview In her ruling, Judge Aileen Cannon said the only similarities between Marasco’s poems and Swift’s songs were generic words — including “basic ideas” like the concept of “gaslighting,” as well as “ubiquitous metaphors” and “common observations.” “These are quintessential themes, concepts, and isolated words — exactly the kind of material copyright law does not protect,” the judge wrote in her decision, obtained and first reported by Billboard . “The allegedly infringed material — basic ideas, themes, metaphors, isolated words, and short phrases — is not protected expression and cannot be infringed.” Federal judges often give accusers like Marasco a chance to fix and refile their cases. But in her ruling Monday, Judge Cannon refused to do so, citing the fact that Marasco had already seen previous lawsuits against Swift thrown out of court and had been “expressly warned” that it was her final chance. “Plaintiff has had ample opportunity to plead her claims,” the judge wrote. “The defects identified are not pleading defects curable by more careful drafting — they are defects in the underlying works themselves, which consist of ideas, themes, metaphors, and isolated words that no amendment can transform into protectable expression.” Barring a reversal on appeal — the odds of which are extremely low — Monday’s ruling should finally end Marasco’s litigation against Swift, which has dragged on for more than two years across two cases. She did not immediately return a request for comment. A rep for Swift declined to comment. Marasco first sued Taylor’s company (Taylor Swift Productions) in 2024, claiming the star had lifted lyrics to “The Man,” “My Tears Ricochet,” “Illicit Affairs” and many other songs from earlier poems. Then early last year, Marasco filed another case against Swift herself, over largely the same allegations. Swift’s legal team always strongly denied any wrongdoing, and the first case was dismissed in September . At the time, Judge Cannon ruled that Marasco didn’t own any rights to the “common” phrases she claimed Swift had copied. In December, Swift’s lawyers pressed to end the entire dispute “once and for all,” arguing Maras