Copyright case over Drake’s ‘Janice STFU’ withdrawn 10 days after filing
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
The copyright lawsuit against Drake over “Janice STFU” has been voluntarily dismissed, just 10 days after it was filed in federal court. The withdrawal leaves producer Aviel Hirschfield’s claim unresolved and adds uncertainty to allegations that drew widespread attention.
Hirschfield claimed he wrote the song’s chorus after hearing Lykke Li’s 2011 track “I Follow Rivers”, and that it later appeared verbatim on Drake’s hit. His representatives said experts had verified metadata for a leaked demo; Drake’s team called the lawsuit “manufactured and baseless”. Questions included whether the demo was genuine and how the song’s production timeline aligned with Hirschfield’s account.
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In short
- Drake copyright case withdrawn after 10 days.
- Hirschfield’s authorship claim remains unresolved.
- Disputed demo and timeline raised questions.
How this story developed
- 53 minutes ago The federal copyright case was voluntarily withdrawn just 10 days after filing, leaving Hirschfield’s authorship claim unresolved and questions about the demo, the song’s production timeline and the use of older melodies.
- 59 minutes ago Producer Aviel Hirschfield accused Drake of using his chorus for “Janice STFU”, saying he had written it after hearing Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers”; his representatives cited expert checks of a leaked demo’s metadata, while Drake’s team rejected the claim as baseless.
Explained simply
Copyright law can protect original music, including lyrics and melodies, but a court must assess whether one work unlawfully copied another. Similarity alone does not settle a claim; evidence about how and when each song was created can also matter.
Aviel Hirschfield is a producer who says he wrote the chorus at issue, drawing inspiration from Lykke Li’s 2011 song “I Follow Rivers”. Drake is a recording artist whose hit was alleged to use that chorus, while his representatives disputed the accusation and challenged the basis of the case.
The dispute raised questions about a leaked demo’s authenticity, its metadata and the songs’ production timelines. Those details could affect whether the claim had a sound factual basis, but the case’s withdrawal leaves the allegations unresolved.
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Originally published by Rolling Stone as “Drake ‘Janice STFU’ Copyright Lawsuit Dismissed”.