Kanye West can walk away from a lawsuit over “New Slaves” that he has been battling for nearly a year. Yeezy reached a settlement with Hungarian artist Gabor Presser Monday (March 20) out of court and the case was “resolved amicably,” according to Page Six.
The terms of the settlement are not disclosed, but Presser sought $2.5 million when he took Kanye to court last May, saying the gold-certified Yeezuscut illegally sampled his “Gyöngyhajú Lány” (“The Girl with Pearly Hair”), which he released in 1969.
In his initial lawsuit, Presser said that after he found out his song was used, ‘Ye’s team reached out to ask for permission, sending him a check for $10,000 as Presser worked out the official details of the agreement. He said they seemed especially concerned about using the song for a street screening in promotion of Yeezus.
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While Kanye was making million of dollars off the album and tour, Presser was left with $700 in royalty fees and said he never cashed the $10,000 check or signed a licensing agreement offered to him in January of 2014. He continued pursuing equal ground with the rapper’s team before finally going to court.
https://youtu.be/IyOL-f_UO5k
Kanye had a small victory in the case as the trial was set to start May 15. Last month, the court allowed part of the procedures, specifically Yeezy’s deposition, to take place in Los Angeles instead of New York.
Well, now Kanye doesn’t gotta testify.