What song did a jury rule Katy Perry’s Dark Horse ripped off?

Katy Perry on stage — Katy Perry has lost a lawsuit against her song Dark Horse (Picture: Getty Images)

Katy Perry has lost a copyright lawsuit aimed at her hit track Dark Horse, following a ruling in a Los Angeles court.

The song, which featured on Perry’s 2013 album Prism, was a Billboard chart-topper as well as winning her a Grammy nomination.

However it faced legal action from rapper Flame (real name Marcus Gray) – with a nine-member jury ruling in his favour.

So what was the track he claimed had been ripped off, and when was it released?

Here’s what you need to know.

What song did a jury rule Katy Perry’s Dark Horse ripped off?

The jury ruled that Perry’s song Dark Horse had copied the track Joyful Noise by Flame.

The track, which is a Christian rap song, was originally released by the rapper, together with Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae, in 2008.

Flame’s lawyers had argued that the beat and instrumental line in Dark Horse was ‘substantially similar’ to that of Joyful Noise.

However Perry’s lawyers said that the song sections in question represent simple musical elements that could potentially impact all music and songwriters if they were found to be subject to copyright.

‘They’re trying to own basic building blocks of music, the alphabet of music that should be available to everyone,’ Perry’s lawyer Christine Lepera said.

Perry and Dark Horse’s co-authors Juicy J and Dr Luke testified that none of them had heard of Flame or heard the song before, and that they did not listen to Christian music.

What happens next?

The case will now go to a penalty phase where the jury will decide how much the singer and the co-authors will have to pay the rapper for infringement.

This part of the case will begin on Tuesday.

Flame claimed in the case that his song had been ‘irreparably tarnished by its association with the witchcraft, paganism, black magic and Illuminati imagery evoked by the same music in Dark Horse.’