Kanye West resolves copyright lawsuit over 'Life of the Party'

Aug 19 (Reuters) - Kanye West has reached an agreement to be dropped as a defendant from a copyright lawsuit over his track "Life of the Party," according to a filing in New York federal court.

West, known professionally as Ye, and Phase One Network told the court on Friday that they had agreed to dismiss him from Phase One's lawsuit over the allegedly unauthorized use of music from rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions on "Life of the Party."

Attorneys for Ye and Phase One did not immediately respond to requests for comment and more information on Monday, including whether a settlement was reached.

Phase One sued Ye in 2022, alleging "Life of the Party" includes an "exact reproduction" of horn parts, drums and a melody from Boogie Down's 1987 song "South Bronx."

"Life of the Party" features rapper and musician André 3000 and appeared on a deluxe version of Ye's hit 2021 album "Donda." Ye has faced a string of recent lawsuits over his alleged misuse of other songs in his work, including a complaint from the estate of Donna Summer this year that has since been settled.

The "Life of the Party" lawsuit also named British tech company Kano Computing as a defendant. Kano developed a handheld audio device called Stem Player with Ye through which the song was also released.

Phase One did not dismiss its case against Kano. Spokespeople for Kano did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The case is Phase One Network Inc v. Ye, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:22-cv-09511.