Singer Dua Lipa is dealing with a big lawsuit worth millions of dollars because of a copyright claim related to the use of a recording in her popular song Levitating.
The legal action was filed by musician Bosko Kante, who claims the star used a recording made with his talk box in remixes of the song without permission.
The talk box is a wearable device that makes vocal vibrations sound like musical instruments.
Dua Lipa and her label, Warner Music Group, have not yet provided a response to the claims. Levitating is among Dua Lipa’s most popular songs from her 2020 album, Future Nostalgia.
The legal action, which was filed in Los Angeles on Monday, claims Bosko is entitled to more than $20m (£15.6m).
According to Reuters, the legal claim states that Dua Lipa had permission to use the talk box on the original recording of the song, but not on any of the remixes.
It alleges the 27-year-old reused the work without permission on further releases, including The Blessed Madonna remix, which featured Madonna and Missy Elliott, another remix featuring DaBaby and a performance by Dua Lipa at the American Music Awards.
Bosko has not made any public comments about his claim yet. However, according to Billboard, his lawyers state that he has tried to resolve the matter through various attempts, and they consider the alleged copyright infringement to be clear and blatant.
Lawyers argue that Bosko took legal action because the singer and her label failed to address the alleged copyright issue adequately and had shown “unwillingness to co-operate or accept responsibility”.
Dua Lipa has previously faced copyright claims over her song Levitating, and this recent lawsuit is not the first time such claims have been made.
As per Reuters, a court complaint filed by reggae group Artikal Sound System was dismissed in June, while a separate claim made by songwriters Sandy Linzer and L. Russell Brown is still ongoing.
In 2021, Dua Lipa was sued for allegedly posting a paparazzi photo of herself on Instagram without obtaining permission from the photographer.
