(AllHipHop News) Rap star Kanye West is refusing to ante up any money to an adopted child whose parents claims he used her prayer without paying him.
“Ultralight Beam,” which is on Kanye’s#### album The Life Of Pablo, features an amazing prayer spoken by Natalie.
According to the lawsuit, Alice Johnson, the girl’s biological mother, gave Kanye permission to sample Natalie’s prayer, but she had no legal rights to do so.
But Johnson was not the child’s legal guardian. And she never signed a written licensing agreement, and no one has received a payment from Kanye West.
Now, Kanye West is arguing he shouldn’t have to pay anything at all in new court documents obtained by AllHipHop.
Kanye claims he used the prayer on his record before Natalie filed for the proper copyright registration.
The rap star’s lawyer said the prayer was first published on January 20th, 2016.
The parents claim Kanye’s infringement commenced on February 14th, 2016, when he released The Life of Pablo album with “Ultralight Beam.”
The effective date of registration for the copyright on the little girl’s prayer is April 21st, 2016, over two months after the release of Kanye’s album.
“The Copyright Act precludes a plaintiff from obtaining statutory damages and attorneys’ fees if the infringement of the work commenced after publication and before the date of registration,” argued Kanye’s lawyer Katie Mellen.
Kanye West has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and is asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
The news comes on the heels of two brand new religious-themed albums from Kanye West, Jesus Is King and his most recent Jesus Is Born.
