Intellectual Property
May 7, 2026
Kanye West, now Ye, defends creative process in copyright trial
Ye testified in a federal copyright trial over "Hurricane," disputing plaintiffs' claims he stole core elements of their music while defending his collaborative songwriting and the song's commercial success.
"It's just Ye - Y-E," the rapper formerly known as Kanye West identified himself with his news name upon taking the stand Wednesday in a federal jury trial over claims that he misappropriated the work of other musicians to create a Grammy-winning song.
Under examination by plaintiffs' counsel Irene Y. Lee of Russ August & Kabat in Los Angeles, Ye said he had not been familiar with the artists behind a recording upon which he based his song "80 Degrees&qu...
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