August 07, 2026
A California federal judge denied rapper Ye's request Friday for a new trial over whether an early version of his Grammy-winning hit "Hurricane" he played at a listening party contained an uncleared sound recording, rejecting the music mogul's contention that the jury received an improper implied license instruction.
July 13, 2026
The artist formerly known as Kanye West is asking a California federal judge for a new trial over infringement of an unlicensed sample, saying the composers of the sampled song were on board until after Ye played it at a 2021 listening party.
May 12, 2026
The artist once known as Kanye West and his companies infringed an uncleared sound recording in an early version of his Grammy-winning song "Hurricane," showcased at one of his 2021 "Donda" album listening parties, a Los Angeles jury found Tuesday.
May 11, 2026
Counsel for Ye defended the rapper during closing arguments in a copyright infringement trial Monday, telling a Los Angeles jury that Ye's alleged unauthorized use of a sound recording in an early version of his Grammy-winning song "Hurricane" was merely a "test drive," and that he ultimately went in a different direction.
May 07, 2026
A damages expert for an artists rights holding company told a California federal jury on Thursday that Ye owes over $500,000 in damages for allegedly using an unauthorized sound recording in an early version of his Grammy-winning song "Hurricane," saying Ye used it to "lure" fans into the lucrative listening party.
May 06, 2026
Ye took the stand on Wednesday to defend himself in a California copyright trial over whether early versions of his Grammy-winning hit "Hurricane" contained an unauthorized sound recording, saying that people try to "take advantage" of him despite him being "very generous" when it comes to giving artists their due.
May 05, 2026
DJ Khalil testified Tuesday in a California copyright infringement suit that he was initially excited Ye was using his instrumental track for what became the rapper's Grammy-winning song "Hurricane," but ultimately sought help from an artists rights company when he hit a "dead end" seeking payment from the rapper.
May 04, 2026
The artist once known as Kanye West sampled an instrumental recording he didn't own as part of a listening party for his album "Donda," then "ghosted" the songwriters without compensating them, attorneys for Artist Revenue Advocates told a Los Angeles jury at the start of a copyright infringement suit Monday.
April 28, 2026
The artist formerly known as Kanye West cannot delay next week's trial in a copyright lawsuit alleging he used a song by DJ Khalil and other artists on his album "Donda," a California federal judge ruled, saying concert schedules and attorney deadlines in other cases do not justify such a delay.
February 27, 2026
A California federal judge has dismissed the majority of a copyright lawsuit accusing the artist once known as Kanye West of using a song by DJ Khalil and other artists on his album "Donda," allowing only a narrow part of the case to proceed over whether earlier demo versions of the track "Hurricane" contained an unauthorized sample.