Ye and Ty Dolla Sign Settle With Donna Summer Estate in Copyright Lawsuit Over ‘Vultures 1’ Song

Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign have reached a settlement with the estate of the late Donna Summer in their copyright infringement lawsuit over an “unauthorized interpolation” in the Vultures 1 song “Good (Don’t Die).”

Attorneys for both parties indicated in court documents, obtained by People, that they have “entered into a settlement agreement that is a full and final settlement of all of the claims in the action.” As part of their agreement, each party will cover their respective legal costs.

Larry Stein, lead counsel for Summer’s estate, tells Billboard that Ye will not be allowed to use the singer’s music going forward. “We did not license the song,” Stein said. “As part of the settlement, they have agreed not to distribute or otherwise use the song. So we got what we wanted.”

After the lawsuit was filed in February, “Good (Don’t Die),” which features an interpolation of Summer’s voice from the song “I Feel Love,” was removed from Vultures 1 on Apple Music and Spotify. It remains unavailable. Summer’s estate alleges Kanye and Ty Dolla’s request to use the sample was denied, so they re-recorded the melody “almost verbatim key…using a singer soundalike to Summer, with slight changes to the lyrics.”

Summer, known as the Queen of Disco, died in 2012 at age 63.

After previewing Vultures 1 at a listening party in Chicago, Ye was called out by Ozzy Osbourne on social media for sampling a portion of a 1983 live performance of “War Pigs” without his permission. Ozzy said he denied the request because Kanye “is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many.” The 75-year-old added, “I want no association with this man!”