Playboi Carti Scores Legal Win In UMG Copyright Case Over Incorrect Takedown

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.8K Views
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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JULY 10: Rapper Playboi Carti performs at PNC Music Pavilion on July 10, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Hahne/Getty Images)
Carti is in the clear this time.

Playboi Carti and Universal Music Group (UMG) just dodged a huge legal bullet thanks to a new ruling from a federal judge. Moreover, this case stems from the aforementioned artist and label taking down a song from G-Baby which uses the same beat from Carti and Pi'erre Bourne's "Right Now." However, G-Baby actually released his song "Oi!" before "Right Now" and did so with a legal license to use this same beat. The judge in this matter ruled that the "FIELD TRIP" creative and UMG didn't violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) when they mistakenly took "Oi!" down since they didn't intend to do so.

Furthermore, this ruling emerged on Tuesday (August 27) amid an update in last year's lawsuit from G-Baby against Playboi Carti and UMG. The suit claimed that this takedown violated the DMCA's stipulations protecting creators from improper takedowns. However, the judge in this ruling cited that previous decisions indicate how these safeguards only apply to intentionally irresponsible uses of the legal framework to shut other products down. As such, it seems like the "No Face" MC (which might appear on streaming services soon) will be in the clear.

Playboi Carti Performing At Wireless Festival 2023

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Playboi Carti performs during day one of Wireless Festival 2023 at Finsbury Park on July 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage/Getty Images)

"Because the DMCA requires only a good faith belief that material is infringing, a copyright holder is not liable for misrepresentation under the DMCA if they subjectively believe the identified material infringes their copyright, even if that belief is ultimately mistaken," Judge Analisa Torres expressed. She also explained how G-Baby admitted that the UMG employee who took "Oi!" down didn't know that he licensed the beat that Playboi Carti also used. "This admission alone dooms [G-Baby's] claim against UMG," Torres posited. Hopefully Carti and The Weeknd don't face these issues on their supposed next collab.

Back to the story at hand: "[G-Baby] cites no caselaw for the proposition that one employee’s knowledge that a use may be non-infringing should be imputed to another employee who independently issues a takedown notice on behalf of the company," the judge ruled. "Although [Playboi Carti] may well have been aware of (and displeased with) [G-Baby's] license to use the beat, [G-Baby] has failed to establish that [Carti] had any part in the takedown notices." We'll see what happens next for one of Complex's best Atlanta rappers of all time.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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