Rick Ross’ Lawsuit Over LMFAO’s "Party Rock Anthem" Has Been Thrown Out

In 2014, Rick Ross and producers the Runners sued pop outfit LMFAO for copyright infringement. Ross claimed that the phrase “everyday I’m shufflin’” from 2010′s “Party Rock Anthem” infringed on his 2006 hit “Hustlin’.” Last year, a judge rejected Ross’ legal claims to “everyday I’m shufflin’” merchandise, ruling that an altered three-word phrase from a song wasn’t protected by copyright. More recently, it was revealed that three different copyright registrations had been submitted for “Hustlin’,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. When a judge sent questions to the U.S. Copyright Office about these registrations, Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante revealed that the office should not have issued any of the three “Hustlin’” copyrights in the first place due to issues in the application process. Ross’ lawsuit has now been dismissed, TMZ reports.

The first “Hustlin’” copyright application was filed by an entertainment attorney representing Ross and the song’s producers in February 2006. According to Pallante, that registration should be considered invalid because it was registered as an “unpublished work,” and at that point, the song was already being distributed. The subsequent two applications, filed respectively by Warner Bros. and Sony, were defective due to the initial February 2006 application and because of incorrect dates listed on the applications. LMFAO’s lawyer Barry Rothberg argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed due to Pallante’s findings. Ross’ camp argued that a certificate of registration was enough to proceed with the lawsuit regardless of inaccurate information on the applications.

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