{"id":7930,"date":"2025-09-24T20:04:42","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T20:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/court-dismisses-copyright-lawsuit-concerning-mary-j-bliges-real-love-justia-news-september-24-2025\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T20:04:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T20:04:42","slug":"court-dismisses-copyright-lawsuit-concerning-mary-j-bliges-real-love-justia-news-september-24-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/court-dismisses-copyright-lawsuit-concerning-mary-j-bliges-real-love-justia-news-september-24-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Court Dismisses Copyright Lawsuit Concerning Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love” \u2014 Justia News \u2014 September 24, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, a judge granted Universal Music Publishing\u2019s motion to dismiss in a lawsuit concerning an alleged uncleared sample in Mary J. Blige\u2019s song \u201cReal Love.\u201d<\/p>\n

TufAmerica alleged that \u201cReal Love\u201d used a sample from the song \u201cImpeach the President,\u201d created and published in 1973 and performed by The Honey Drippers. TufAmerica holds the copyright registration for the musical composition and sound recording of \u201cImpeach the President.\u201d Universal Music Publishing is the music publisher for \u201cReal Love,\u201d performed by Mary J. Blige for UMG Recordings. \u201cReal Love\u201d samples drum sounds and copies corresponding compositional elements from the song \u201cTop Billin,’\u201d recorded by the group Audio Two. \u201cTop Billin’\u201d sampled the drum sounds and copied compositional elements from \u201cImpeach the President.\u201d TufAmerica alleged that \u201c\u2018Real Love\u2019. . . not only incorporates the drum sounds and corresponding compositional elements from \u2018Impeach the President\u2019 that were used in \u2018Top Billin\u201d\u2019 but modifies \u2018Top Billin\u201d in a manner that brings \u2018Real Love\u2019 closer, musicologically, to \u2018Impeach the President.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Universal Music Publishing filed its motion to dismiss TufAmerica\u2019s lawsuit, which contained causes of action for copyright infringement, declaratory judgment, and injunctive relief. The Court noted at the outset of the lawsuit that \u201cneither a declaratory judgment nor injunctive relief are independent causes of action.\u201d On the remaining cause of action for copyright infringement, Universal Music Publishing did not dispute that \u201cReal Love\u201d copied \u201cImpeach the President.\u201d Rather, Universal Music Publishing argued that the two songs lacked substantial similarity.<\/p>\n

The Court found that the songs failed the \u201cordinary observer test,\u201d which asks \u201cwhether an average lay observer would recognize the alleged copy as having been appropriated from the copyrighted work.\u201d The Court found it clear that the songs are not substantially similar such that TufAmerica\u2019s copyright infringement claim survives the motion to dismiss. \u201c\u2018Impeach the President\u2019 is a protest song from the 1970s that fits squarely within the soul\/funk genre. \u2018Real Love,\u2019 by contrast, is a hip-hop soul song about heartbreak, not politics.\u201d The Court found the songs to have extremely dissimilar musical motifs and musical impressions.<\/p>\n

Additional Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n

Universal Music defeats copyright lawsuit over Mary J. Blige\u2019s 1992 sample<\/a>,\u00a0Reuters<\/em> (September 23, 2025)<\/p>\n

TufAmerica, Inc. v. Universal Music Publishing, Inc.<\/a><\/em> (Case No. 1:2024cv02585)<\/p>\n

Opinion and Order in TufAmerica, Inc. v. Universal Music Publishing, Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo Credit<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>Denis Makarenko \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n