Dua Lipa prevails in copyright lawsuit over hit song ‘Levitating’

Pop star Dua Lipa has successfully defended herself against a copyright infringement lawsuit regarding her hit single ‘Levitating.’ The case, filed in 2022 by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, alleged that Lipa had plagiarized their 1979 disco track ‘Wiggle and Giggle All Night’ and 1980’s ‘Don Diablo.’ On March 27, 2025, U.S. Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the songs only shared generic similarities and non-copyrightable musical elements. The judge noted that these elements had been previously used by other artists, including Mozart, Gilbert and Sullivan, and the Bee Gees. This marks Lipa’s second victory in a plagiarism case over ‘Levitating,’ following a dismissed lawsuit by Florida reggae band Artikal Sound System in 2023. However, Lipa still faces a third legal challenge from musician Bosko Kante, a featured artist on ‘Levitating,’ who claims his contribution was used without permission on remixes. The ruling coincided with the fifth anniversary of ‘Levitating’s’ release as part of Lipa’s album ‘Future Nostalgia.’ Lawyers for Brown and Linzer have expressed their intention to appeal the decision137.