Kendrick Lamar and SZA Settle Lawsuit Over “All the Stars” Music Video
Written by SOURCE on December 28, 2018
Kendrick Lamar and SZA secured a legal win earlier this week.
According to legal documents obtained by Pitchfork, the TDE artists have settled their copyright infringement lawsuit over the Black Panther soundtrack cut “All the Stars.” British-Liberian artist Lina Iris Viktor filed the suit back in February, claiming the song’s music video appropriated elements from her “Constellations” series. The artist sued Kendrick and SZA for unspecified damages, along with an injunction prohibiting the use of her work to promote the Black Panther film.
Legal documents, dated Dec. 21, 2019, state all claims against Kendrick and SZA have been dismissed as part of the deal.
In a February interview with the New York Times, Viktor claimed she had been contacted by a Marvel set director, who asked to use her “Constellations” work in the superhero flick. Viktor said she rejected the request.
Though elements of her work were not featured in the Black Panther movie, the artist alleged that her work was illegally recreated for “All the Stars.” Kendrick and SZA’s legal team denied the allegations, and insisted the art featured in the video had no effect on the song’s success.
Kendrick and SZA’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the suit back in July. The document states in part:
Common sense and logic dictate that the alleged 19-second use of the Artwork in the Video is far more speculative (and, in any event, no less speculative) a reason for people’s decisions to stream or buy the Single or Album […] Any attempt by Plaintiff to tie such decisions to the alleged use is especially suspect due to the added uncertainty as to whether people who play the Video actually watch it instead of just listening to the audio, and, if they do watch, whether they do so until the final minute when the alleged use occurs.
The details of the recent settlement have not been disclosed.
“All the Stars” is up for Best Original Song at the 2019 Golden Globes, as well as Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 2019 Grammys.
