The Weeknd Settles Copyright Infringement Case Over 'Call Out My Name' [REPORT]

The Weeknd was hit with a copyright infringement suit in 2021 over his 2018 hit song, "Call Out My Name."

According to reports, an electric duo, Epikker, filed a lawsuit against the Canadian singer as well as his producers Frank Dukes and Nicolas Jaar, claiming that "Call Out My Name" plagiarised their unreleased song.

The unreleased song is titled "Vibeking," and the part that they particularly pointed out as plagiarized was their vocal hook.

The song comes from The Weeknd's EP "My Deal Melancholy," released in 2018.

Moreover, the duo claimed that both songs bore "strikingly and/or substantially similar, if not identical" aspects, Pitchfork reported.

After being hit with the suit, Jaar noted that he had nothing to do with the production of "Call Out My Name," rather he only included the song as an interpolation for his 2016 song "Killing Time."

Settlement

As of this writing, the specifics of what The Weeknd and Epikker have settled over are unclear.

"The parties have reached a settlement in principle of this action," the filing reads. "Because the parties are still in the process of formalizing, executing, and consummating that settlement, Plaintiff respectfully requests that the Court take all dates off calendar and set a date in 30 days for the parties to file a joint status report if the case has not already been dismissed."

Perhaps the singer decided that it was better to settle instead of taking things further, as the duo's lawyers noted all the similarities between "Call Out My Name" and "Vibeking."

"Both works are in a 6/8 meter that is less common in popular music. Both works are played at a similar tempo. And both works use features of electronica, ambience, pop, hip-hop, rock, and R&B to achieve a particularly atmospheric and melancholic sound."

The last update about the suit noted that Epikker is looking into gaining all profits the song made as well as damages, like the pair's legal fees.

Backlash

This is but one of many controversies that The Weeknd is liked to. According to NME, the singer-slash-producer encountered some backlash after a Rolling Stone report that called his upcoming series a "s***show."

The singer directly addressed the report by sharing a clip from the HBO series, and captioning it: "[Rolling Stone] did we upset you?"

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The Weeknd