03 August 2023 , 08:52
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Singing superstar Dua Lipa faces a £15million copyright claim over the alleged unauthorised use of a recording on remixes of her 2020 hit track Levitating.
Legal action has been filed by music producer Bosco Kante, who claims the British star, 27, used his mobile talk box technology without permission. A talk box is a device that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound.
Documents show Mr Kante claims that he was approached about “creating and performing a talk box performance” to be licensed in connection with Levitating. The filing says that Ms Lipa had permission to use the talk box on the original recording but not on any remixes.
Music producer Bosco Kante has filed legal action against the star (Getty Images)
Dua Lipa is yet to comment on the multimillion-dollar copyright claim (Getty Images)However, Mr Kante claims that his ElectroSpit talk box was used on further releases of Levitating. That including The Blessed Madonna remix, which featured Madonna and Missy Elliott, and another popular remix featuring DaBaby.
The DaBaby remix is reportedly the most popular version of the song, and has amassed more than 1.6 billion plays on Spotify. Mr Kante’s lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles on Monday, claims he is entitled to more than 20 million dollars (£15.7 million).
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“Plaintiff made numerous attempts to resolve this matter short of litigation, but such efforts were unsuccessful, due to defendants’ unwillingness to co-operate or accept responsibility for this blatant infringement of plaintiff’s copyrights,” the documents said. Dua Lipa and her label Warner Music Group are yet to comment publicly on the lawsuit.
The talk box is a wearable device that makes vocal vibrations sound like musical instruments. It comes after the star was criticised by fans for sharing photos of herself smoking in her latest Instagram post.
The Dance The Night singer shared snaps from her latest sunny break with her 88.7 million followers, but the most-liked comments were from people criticising her smoking habit. In one of the pictures, Dua was seen lighting up a cigarette while relaxing on the porch in front of a gorgeous view of calm waters and nature.