Ye, Ty Dolla Sign sued over alleged illegal use of Donna Summer hit

The estate of Donna Summer alleges in the copyright infringement complaint that Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Ty Dolla Sign (Tyrone William Griffin) were “explicitly” denied permission to use portions of “I Feel Love.” FILE PHOTO

LOS ANGELES – The estate of disco songbird Donna Summer is suing Ye and Ty Dolla Sign in Los Angeles, alleging in federal court that the pair illegally sampled her 1977 hit “I Feel Love” in their collaboration
“Good (Don’t Die),” according to court papers obtained Wednesday by City News Service.

Summer estate executor Bruce Sudano alleges in the copyright infringement complaint that Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Ty Dolla Sign (Tyrone William Griffin) were “explicitly” denied permission to use portions of “I Feel Love.” Despite the denial, the rappers “shamelessly used instantly recognizable portions of Summer’s hit song” in “Good (Don’t Die),” which appears on the recently released collaborative album “Vultures 1,” Sudano alleges in the 16-page lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The suit alleges that when representatives of Ye sought permission for use of the song they were rejected because the Summer estate “wanted no association with West’s controversial history.”

In the face of rejection, the defendants “arrogantly and unilaterally decided they would simply steal `I Feel Love’ and use it without permission,” the suit contends.

A representative for Ye did not immediately answer a request for comment. Summer, Sudano’s late wife, died of cancer in 2012 at age 63. (CNS)