Marshmello speaks out on Arty lawsuit

A few months ago it was no secret that Arty had taken on Marshmello and Universal Music, suing them for copyright infringement. The claim was that the 2018 hit “Happier” was a direct copy of the Russian DJ’s remix of One Republic‘s “I Lived”. It appears Marshmello has denied the claims, indicated in court documents obtained by The Blast, and demands that the lawsuit be dropped entirely.

In its defence, the Marshmello camp appears to draw attention to the fact that Arty shouldn’t be able to claim for copyright as he doesn’t own the original composition. Furthermore, in signing a Remixer Declaration, Marshmello believes Arty has no financial stake towards the song, describing the lawsuit as “an exercise in futility”.

“In obtaining permission to create the Remix Composition five years ago, Plaintiff signed a Remixer Declaration in which he not only expressly disclaimed any “ownership or financial interest” in the Remix Composition, but he also agreed not to “make any claims to the contrary”.

It will be interesting to see how things develop from here, especially as Arty has sided with lawyer Richard Busch, a heavyweight who has won cases such as Marvin Gaye’s lawsuit against Pharell Williams and Robin Thicke.

Whilst we await more news on the situation, compare the melodies for yourself below!