Pop star Taylor Swift is being sued for $42 million for alleged plagiarism of the lyrics to her hit 2014 song "Shake It Off," reports the BBC.
Lesser known U.S. singer Jesse Graham claims Swift stole the words from a song he wrote in 2013 called "Haters Gone Hate." Graham is claiming he has copyright ownership of the phrases "haters gone hate" and "playas gone play," which appear in the chorus of Swift's song.
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There are quite a few similarities, claims Graham. The chorus of his song comprises: "Haters gone hater, playas gone play/ Watch out for them fakers, they'll fake you everyday," according to the BBC.
The chorus of "Shake It Off" features lyrics including: "Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/ And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate." She sings another line: "And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake."
Graham, told the New York Daily News that he believed there was "no way" that Swift could have written the lyrics independently of his own song. Graham also plans to file a suit against CNN for the title of its morning show "New Day," according to the publication.
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Representatives for Swift declined to comment when contacted by CNBC. Read the full story on the BBC's website.
- By CNBC's Tanzeel Akhtar, follow her on Twitter @Tanzeel_Akhtar