Donna Summer’s Estate Suing Kanye West Over Unauthorized Use of ‘I Feel Love’ on ‘Vultures’

Kanye West is embroiled in a legal battle with the estate of Donna Summer over allegations of creating an unauthorized rendition of one of her hit songs.

The lawsuit also names Ty Dolla $ign and Kanye’s record label for their attempt to incorporate Summer’s “I Feel Love” into a track on Kanye’s album ‘Vultures,’ despite their initial request for permission being rejected.

The contentious track, “Good (Don’t Die),” was featured on the tracklist of ‘Vultures 1,’ released earlier this month. The song is said to prominently feature Summer’s vocal elements from “I Feel Love,” but according to the lawsuit, West and his collaborators proceeded without the necessary authorization after the estate had explicitly refused their request.

TMZ reports that the lawsuit, filed by attorney Larry Stein on behalf of Summer’s estate, details that Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign sought approval to use the iconic song on January 31, 2024, just days before the album’s release on February 9. Despite holding partial copyright to Summer’s track, the estate refused permission, citing West’s recent controversies, including antisemitic remarks, as detrimental to their interests.

Despite this refusal, the lawsuit alleges that Kanye released ‘Vultures’ with “Good (Don’t Die)” available on major platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. The estate accuses Kanye of attempting to circumvent their denial by producing a song heavily inspired by “I Feel Love,” a move they argue still constitutes copyright infringement.

Following the unauthorized use, Summer’s estate demanded the removal of the track from streaming services, leading to the temporary withdrawal of Kanye’s album from these platforms. Although the album was later reinstated without “Good (Don’t Die),” the estate claims it suffered damage due to the song’s availability and streaming in the interim.

The estate is now seeking substantial damages and a judicial order to prevent further distribution of the track containing the unauthorized sample.