Federal Judge Holds that Taylor Swift’s Sick Beat Is All Hers

Last November, a federal judge dismissed a copyright lawsuit accusing Taylor Swift of stealing lyrics to “Shake It Off” from a California songwriter. But this was no ordinary dismissal order—in rather epic fashion, the judge channeled her inner T. Swift and heavily quoted the pop star’s lyrics in holding that the defendants had successfully “shaken off” the lawsuit. Braham v. Sony/ATV Music Publ’g, No. 2:15-cv-8422-MWF (GJSx), slip op. (C.D. Cal. Nov. 10, 2015).