Roddy Ricch has won a significant copyright infringement lawsuit regarding his hit song "The Box," which has garnered over 1.8 billion Spotify streams. The lawsuit, initially filed by California musician Greg Perry (now represented by Peabody & Company following Perry's passing), claimed unauthorized use of elements from the 1975 track "Come On Down."

Judge Analisa Torres dismissed the case with prejudice, applying an "ordinary observer test" to compare both works. The court concluded that "no reasonable jury could find that the works are substantially similar," noting fundamental differences between the "soul song with a melodic tune" ("Come On Down") and the "hip-hop song delivered in a monotone rap" ("The Box").

Key points from the dismissal:

• The claimed elements (including a two-chord progression and ascending scale glissando) were deemed not "protectable as a matter of law"
• The court referenced Ed Sheeran's recent victory over Structured Asset Sales as precedent
• The ruling emphasized the distinction between musical recordings and compositions
• The judge found no evidence of copied protectable portions of the original musical composition

This ruling comes as similar copyright cases continue to emerge in the music industry, with recent suits filed against Travis Scott for "Til Further Notice" and Ice Spice for "In Ha Mood."

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