A judge has denied Taylor Swift’s request to throw out an infringement suit concerning her hit, “Shake It Off.” A ruling on Thursday (December 9) will find Taylor Swift facing a jury trial after the judge refused to throw out the case citing, “Even though there are some noticeable differences between the works, there are also significant similarities in word usage and sequence/structure,” the judge wrote. The song is question is “Playas Gon’ Play,” a track released in 2001 by the group 3LW. The songwriters’ Sean Hall and Nathan Butler filed the lawsuit in 2017 claiming that Taylor’s song, “Shake It Off,” had infringed on their copyright.  The case was dismissed twice, however, a federal court reversed the ruling sending it back to a lower court where the judge refused to dismiss the case. The attorney for Hall and Butler has said the court “did the right thing.”   “The opinion … is especially gratifying to them because it reinforces the idea that their creativity and unique expression cannot be misappropriated without any retribution,” said attorney Marina Bogorad. A jury trial will take place however the date is to be determined. Do you think Hall and Butler will win their case?

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