Taylor Swift’s lawsuit claiming that her lyrics were copied was dismissed Monday after a federal judge ruled that the poet’s allegations relied on common themes and expressions.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case filed by Florida poet Kimberly Marasco with prejudice, which bars the claims from being filed again.
Marasco had alleged that Swift copied ideas and lyrics from her poems for songs on “Lover,” “Folklore,” “Evermore,” “Midnights”, and “The Tortured Poets Department.”
The court said the similarities cited in the lawsuit involved broad themes, common metaphors, and everyday expressions, none of which are protected under U.S. copyright law.
Judge Cannon found that references to gaslighting, tears, rain, fire, the sky and love amounted to commonplace language rather than original creative expression.
The ruling said Marasco failed to plausibly show that Swift copied any protected material.
The court also said that another amendment would be futile, as Marasco had already amended her complaint several times. Previous lawsuits with similar claims had also been rejected.
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Marasco filed the case in 2024 against Taylor Swift Productions. She cited songs including “The Man,” “Illicit Affairs”, and “My Tears Ricochet.”
She later expanded the case to include “The Tortured Poets Department” tracks, including “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” and “The Manuscript.”
