James G. Sammataro, an attorney representing the two A-list artists, believes that 'no one, including plaintiffs, can own or monopolize the non-copyrightable' phrase 'you got it.'
- Jan 14, 2022
AceShowbiz - Chris Brown and Drake have fired back at a copyright infringement lawsuit over their joint single, "No Guidance". The two hitmakers are requesting a federal judge to dismiss the case because the lawsuit is "baseless."
For the record, KBrandon Cooper and Timothy Valentine, known as Drum'n Skillz, filed the lawsuit back in October 2021. They claimed that Brown and Drake hijacked their song, "I Love Your Dress". Among the elements that the A-list artists were accused of stealing is the phrase "you got it."
Brown and Drake denied the allegations. Their attorney, James G. Sammataro, believes the phrase is too common in the English language. "Plaintiffs' suit is premised upon the alleged similarity [to a] wholly generic lyrical phrase," he stated, according to Billboard. "No one, including plaintiffs, can own or monopolize the non-copyrightable phrase 'you got it,' and it should come as no surprise that this phrase appears in countless other works."
"The Court can hear for itself that the total concept and feel of the songs is vastly different. The plaintiffs' song is a slow, R&B love ballad about the writer's wife featuring one vocalist and relatively few lyrics In sharp contrast," he continued. " 'No Guidance' is a faster, longer, and sexually explicit rap and R&B song about a new romantic interest."
In their lawsuit, Cooper and Valentine claimed that their song arrived three years before the 2019 hit. They alleged that "an analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook and rhythmic structure demonstrates that 'No Guidance' was copied or, at the very least, principally derived from 'I Love Your Dress'."
Cooper and Valentine pointed out that their track has the lyrics "She got it; she got it" repeated 16 times. As for "No Guidance", it has "You got it, girl; you got it" repeated at least 11 times. Cooper additionally accused Brown and Drake of making fun of his nickname with the phrase, "flew the coop."
"No Guidance" is one of the tracks off Brown's ninth studio album, "Indigo". The song peaked at No. 5 on Billboard Hot 100 chart in October 2019 and was later nominated for Best R&B Song at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
