Katy Perry Loses 'Dark Horse' Copyright Lawsuit Filed by Flame

Katy Perry has been defeated in a lawsuit that claimed her song “Dark Horse” copied a 2009 Christian rap song.

Marcus Gray and two co-authors say that “Dark Horse” stole elements from their song “Joyful Noise,” which was released by Marcus under the stage name Flame. A nine-member jury in Los Angeles decided in favor of the plaintiffs following a seven-day trial.

Katy‘s lawyer argued that the song featured simple musical elements and that ruling in the plaintiffs favor could cause issues for music and artists in the future.

“They’re trying to own basic building blocks of music, the alphabet of music that should be available to everyone,” the lawyer said (via Billboard).

Katy and the song’s author writers, including producer Dr. Luke, said they had never heard “Joyful Noise” nor had they heard of Flame before the trial. They also said that they don’t listen to Christian music.

The jury now has to decide how much money the plaintiffs are owed.