Ariana Grande sued for copyright infringement over '7 Rings'
LOS ANGELES - Ariana Grande is headed to court.
The "Thank U, Next" singer and Universal Music Corp. are being sued by hip-hop artist DOT for ripping off the chorus of his song in her hit "7 Rings."
DOT, whose real name is Josh Stone, claims that his song "You Need I Got It," released in 2017, was infringed upon by the 26-year-old pop star.
The suit alleges that music producer Tommy Brown heard DOT's song and lifted key elements for Grande's.
The chorus of Grande's song repeats the line "I want it / I got it / I want it / I got it," while the chorus of DOT's features the refrain "“You need it / I got it / You Want It / I Got It.”
The lawsuit alleges that two forensic musicologists have examined the songs and determined that the rhythm and notes within the song are also similar.
“Literally, every single one of the 39 respective notes of ‘7 Rings’ is identical with the 39 notes of ‘I Got It’ from a metrical placement perspective,” claims the suit. “Said another way, the rhythm and placement of the notes and lyrics are identical.”
Grande is up for five Grammy Awards next week, two nominations being for the song "7 Rings."
"This lawsuit is about protecting artists and their work. Josh’s song was taken and used without his consent, without his knowledge and without a license," said DOT's lawyer in a statement to Fox News. "Many people made a LOT of money on Josh's work. And that is wrong. It is copyright infringement. Laws were specifically created to protect artists like Josh from copyright infringement. Those laws were violated and Josh has rights that we are now exercising to right that wrong."
Reps for Grande and Universal Music Corp. did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.