Lady Gaga Threatened With Copyright Suit Over Hit Song 'Shallow'

Tell me somethin', girl, are you happy in this IP world?

onAugust 9, 2019 at 2:42 PMAugust 9, 2019 at 11:51 AM

Lady Gaga (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Mr. [Steve] Ronsen and his lawyer are trying to make easy money off the back of a successful artist. It is shameful and wrong. I applaud Lady Gaga for having the courage and integrity to stand up on behalf of successful artists who find themselves on the receiving end of such [claims]. Should Mr. [Mark] Shirian proceed with this case, Lady Gaga will fight it vigorously and will prevail.

— Orin Snyder of Gibson Dunn, in remarks given in light of a threatened copyright lawsuit against Grammy-winning artist Lady Gaga, over the hit song “Shallow.” Songwriter Steve Ronsen claims that a three-note progression (G-A-B) from Gaga’s song was swiped from his relatively unknown 2012 song “Almost.” Calling this a “brazen shakedown,” Gaga’s legal team has helpfully pointed out that the three-note progression has been used for centuries.

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.