Donna Summer’s Estate Reaches ‘Global Settlement’ With Kanye West For Possibly Using An AI-Generated Version Of ‘I Feel Love’ In His Song

Samantha Dorisca
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A resolution has been reached for a song that was removed from Kanye West’s “Vultures 1” album.

Per Rolling Stone, “Good (Don’t Die)” had been pulled from streaming platforms Spotify and Apple as it allegedly infringed on the rights of Donna Summer. Her estate claimed the song was created through a “blatant theft” of her single “I Feel Love” and had filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in February 2024.

“In the face of this rejection, defendants arrogantly and unilaterally decided they would simply steal ‘I Feel Love’ and use it without permission,” the lawsuit said, according to Rolling Stone.

The outlet also stated: “The filing accused the songwriters of re-recording ‘almost verbatim’ the most ‘memorable portions’ of Summer’s song, using the material as the hook for their own song, and releasing their infringing track ‘knowing they had tried and failed to secure legal permission.’”

Furthermore, the official Donna Summer account had shared in its Instagram Story on Feb. 10 that her estate believed artificial intelligence was used to recreate her sound, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.

“Kanye West…asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song ‘I Feel Love,’ he was denied… He changed the words, had someone re-sing it, or used AI but it’s ‘I Feel Love’… copyright infringement,” the post read.

Now, a “global settlement” has been reached between the two parties as of May 3, 2024, and signatures are already being gathered to resolve the lawsuit.

“Plaintiff anticipates that the final settlement agreement can be executed shortly, and soon thereafter, the parties will be in a position to file a stipulation for dismissal of the action in its entirety,” the new filing signed by estate lawyer Stanton L. Stein read, according to Rolling Stone. “In the unlikely event the parties are unable to conclude the settlement by June 14, 2024, plaintiff intends to diligently prosecute the action against all defendants. As such, plaintiff requests that dismissal not be entered at this time.”

As of this writing, it is unclear if “Good (Don’t Die)” will return to streaming platforms.