Ludacris and Kanye West Win Copyright Infringement Trial

After less than 24 hours of deliberations, jurors in the Ludacris/Kanye West copyright infringement trial returned a verdict favoring the two rappers. The ten person jury concluded that Luda and Kanye did not steal portions of East Orange, N.J. based group I.O.F.’s 2001 song “Straight Like That.” As previously reported by XXLMAG.COM, the group felt that the chorus of Ludacris’s 2004 hit “Stand Up” was too similar to a portion of their own recording. According to a report from the Associated Press, Jeff Billingsly, one of the plaintiffs in the case, has already vowed to appeal the verdict. He apparently feels that the defendants gained an unfair advantage after a judge refused to allow a witness for the plaintiffs to testify. Ludacris, who had anticipated a favorable verdict all along, was quoted as saying: “I hope the plaintiffs enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame.” Kanye, who recited a profanity-laced verse from the witness stand while testifying in the case last week, was not present in court today.