Kanye West settlement’s includes an agreement to cease distribution and use of the song, but does not grant future permission for its use. | The Express Tribune (2024)

Kanye West has resolved the copyright infringement lawsuit brought against him and Ty Dolla $ign by the Donna Summer estate earlier this year. The lawsuit concerned the “unauthorized interpolation” of the legend’s song "I Feel Love" in their Vultures 1 project, PEOPLE confirms.

Court documents filed on Thursday, June 20 and obtained by PEOPLE reveal that attorneys for both parties have "entered into a settlement agreement that is a full and final settlement of all of the claims in the action" and that each side will cover its own legal costs from the dispute.

Following the settlement filing, Larry Stein, lead counsel for the Summer estate, informed Billboard that the finalized agreement does not grant Kanye West, also known as Ye, 47, permission to use the late singer’s material in the future.

“We did not license the song,” said Stein. “As part of the settlement, they have agreed not to distribute or otherwise use the song. So we got what we wanted.”.

West's representatives did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE in February, the Donna Summer estate accused West and Ty Dolla $ign of “blatant theft” for using an interpolation of Summer’s song “I Feel Love” in their Vultures 1 track "Good (Don't Die)" without permission.

The lawsuit alleges that the musicians didn't accept being rejected for using the song. The lead plaintiff of the lawsuit - Bruce Sudano, husband of Donna Summer - claimed that the musicians “arrogantly and unilaterally decided they would simply steal" the 1977 track after they requested permission from the estate to use parts of it. The estate “explicitly denied” permission because Summer’s estate “wanted no association with West’s controversial history.”

“Despite this denial, Defendants shamelessly used instantly recognizable portions of Summer’s hit song, ‘I FEEL LOVE,’ on their recently released collaborative album, ‘Vultures 1,’ and in recorded live concerts,” the lawsuit affirmed.

Before the release of Vultures I, documents claimed that an entity called "Alien Music" requested permission to use excerpts from "I Feel Love" on West's behalf in late January. The court filing indicated that Alien Music sought an "expedited review" due to the project's February 9 release date, suggesting that the rappers had "already completed and readied their song for release without obtaining permission or even notifying the Summer Estate of their use."

The suit said that Summer's estate was "shocked" to find out that West and Ty Dolla $ign released Vultures 1 with the "I Feel Love" interpolation, despite the duo "being expressly refused permission" to use the song on multiple occasions.

“In the face of these repeated denials, West and Co-Defendants attempted to get around this roadblock by instead making an unauthorized interpolation,” the filing stated, adding that the musical collaborators used the “iconic melody” from Summer’s hit as the hook for "Good (Don't Die)" and “re-recorded almost verbatim” key parts of the song, also allegedly “without permission.”

The documents indicate that the “infringing recording” was subsequently taken down from major streaming platforms and other distributors.

Soon after Vultures 1 was released, following a number delays, Sudano posted on X about the inclusion of his late wife’s “I Feel Love” on the music project, writing, "@kanyewest asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song I Feel Love, he was denied… he changed the words, had someone re sing it or used AI but it’s I Feel Love… copyright infringement!!!"

Donna Summer died from lung cancer in 2012, age 63 at her home in Naples, Florida.

Meanwhile, West has encountered additional legal issues since releasing his collaborative project with Ty Dolla $ign. In late May, his former personal assistant sued him for sexual harassment and wrongful termination. A representative for West stated that he threatened to file his own lawsuit against his ex-employee's "baseless allegations" in a statement to PEOPLE, though court records indicate he has not yet done so.