Katy Perry's 2013 hit 'Dark Horse' copied Christian rap song, jury finds

A federal jury decided Monday that Katy Perry's 2013 hit "Dark Horse" copied a Christian rap song, KTLA reported.

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The unanimous verdict by a six-woman, three-man jury after a seven-day trial in Los Angeles District Court was the culmination of legal wrangling that began in 2014, when Marcus Gray and his two co-authors, Emanuel Lambert and Chike Ojukwu, alleged Perry's song copied parts of "Joyful Noise," the television station reported.

Gray, whose stage name is Flame, claimed in his copyright infringement lawsuit that "Dark Horse" used an underlying beat from his song without permission, Rolling Stone reported. Attorneys for Perry, 34, claimed the portion of the song in question was too brief and common to be protected by copyright laws, the magazine reported.

Also found liable by the jury were "Dark Horse" collaborators Lukasz Gottwald (known as Dr. Luke), Karl Martin Sandberg (Max Martin) and Henry Walter (Cirkut); and songwriters Sarah Martin and Jordan Michael Houston (Juicy J), Billboard reported. Capitol Records, Warner Bros. Music Corporation, Kobalt Publishing and Kasz Money Inc. also were found liable, the magazine reported.

Perry and Hudson co-wrote the song, and Juicy J wrote the rap he provided for the song, according to KTLA.

Perry was not in court when the verdict was read, KTLA reported. The penalty phase of the trial began Tuesday to determine what damages will be owed by Perry and her co-writers, CNN reported.

“Dark Horse” topped Billboard's Hot 100 charts for four weeks in early 2014. Perry earned a Grammy nomination and sang the song during her halftime show in 2015 at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona.

Cox Media Group