Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA judge handed a significant win to Nicki Minaj on Wednesday, finding that she did not commit copyright infringement when she created a song based on Tracey Chapman’s “Baby Can I Hold You.”The ruling protects the industry practice of developing a new song based on existing material, and then seeking a license from the original artist prior to release.
U.S. district judge Virginia A. Phillips ruled that Minaj’s experimentation with Chapman’s song constitutes “fair use” and is not copyright infringement.“Artists usually experiment with works before seeking licenses from rights holders and rights holders typically ask to see a proposed work before approving a license,” the judge wrote.
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