Ye Settles Sample Lawsuit With Alice Merton as Federal Court Dismisses Case With 90-Day Reopening Window
A federal court in California has dismissed German singer Alice Merton's sample-infringement lawsuit against rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after the two sides reached a settlement. The dismissal is without prejudice and leaves a 90-day window for either side to ask to reopen the case if the settlement is not completed.
Merton sued in March 2025, alleging that Ye's track "Gun to My Head," from the digital deluxe edition of Vultures 2, sampled her 2022 song "Blindside" without permission. She said she had expressly denied a clearance request sent through BMG in February 2024.
The reason for that refusal became the most closely watched part of the case. Merton is a descendant of Holocaust survivors and said she did not want to be associated with Ye's past antisemitic statements. Ye's lawyers asked the court to strike the lawsuit's references to antisemitism and the Holocaust as unrelated to the copyright dispute.
Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha rejected that request in October, ruling that the references are not unduly prejudicial and may bear on the litigation, including at trial, because they explain why Merton denied the use of her song.
Under a November 6 notice, the settlement will resolve the entire case once its obligations are completed, and the trial previously scheduled for March 15, 2027, has been canceled. The settlement terms were not disclosed.
(Source: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California)
Reference: Billboard
Source: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Ye（原名 Kanye West）在纽约现代艺术博物馆活动上的资料照片。 / Photo: Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in an archival photo at a Museum of Modern Art event in New York. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)
