Beyonce And Jay Z Win “Drunk In Love” Sampling Lawsuit

Beyonce and Jay Z will not have to break bread with a Hungarian singer who accused the couple of using her vocals without permission on the hit song “Drunk In Love.” The lawsuit, which was filed by Mónika Juhász Miczur aka Mitsou in 2014, has been dismissed by a Manhattan judge, according to Page 6.

Miczur, alleged “Drunk In Love” used portions of her song “Gypsy Life on the Road” which was released in the U.S. in 1997. After hearing her a cappella vocals all over Bey’s hit song in December 2013, she took legal action and sued for unspecified monetary damages, claiming the “blatant unauthorized use of [her] voice for trade purposes is causing irreparable harm and emotional distress.”

A judge, however, thought otherwise. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Kern sided with the Carters, noting Mitsou was suing under the state Civil Rights Law, which only protects a “name, portrait, picture or voice used for advertising or trade purposes without written consent.”

“It is undisputed that the ‘Drunk in Love’ song and video are works of artistic expression and, pursuant to well established law, they are therefore exempted from the Civil Rights Law,” Kern said.

The video for “Drunk In Love,” off Beyonce’s self-titled fifth solo album, went on to win Best Collaboration at the MTV Video Music Awards and has over 236 million views on YouTube.

This is another court win for the Carter camp. In October, a judge threw out a lawsuit over sampling on Hov’s 1999 track, “Big Pimpin” after years of limbo.

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