Judge Dismisses Copyright Lawsuit Against Taylor Swift

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed a copyright lawsuit that accused Taylor Swift of copying ideas and phrases from a Florida poet’s work.

Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that poet Kimberly Marasco failed to show that Swift copied protected material. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again.

Marasco claimed that lyrics from more than a dozen Swift songs were based on her poems. She pointed to similarities involving themes such as workplace struggles, love, fire, rain, and common phrases.

The judge said copyright law protects original expression, not general ideas, themes, metaphors, or short phrases. She also found no convincing evidence that Swift had access to Marasco’s poems or that the works were substantially similar.

Marasco’s poetry books had limited sales, and the court noted there was no reasonable basis to conclude that Swift or her collaborators had copied them.

Music copyright experts had also argued that the lawsuit lacked strong legal grounds because it focused on shared themes rather than unique creative expression.

The ruling ends the 14-month legal battle in favor of Taylor Swift, her co-writer Aaron Dessner, Republic Records, and Universal Music Group.