Kanye West settles legal dispute over “unauthorized” use of Donna Summer’s song on album “Vultures 1”

The heirs of Kanye West and Donna Summer have reached an agreement in a copyright dispute over the late disco icon’s 1977 hit “I Feel Love.”

West, who changed his name to Ye, used the track in his 2024 album “Vultures 1,” which led to the lawsuit by Bruce Sudano, Summer’s widower and executor.

In February, Sudano claimed that the rapper and his collaborator Ty Dolla $ign had used the song without permission, which led to the track being removed from streaming services.

Sudano stated that Ye had shamelessly used “immediately recognizable parts” of the song despite the estate “expressly denying” him permission to do so.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, says the estate did not want to be associated with Yes’ controversial reputation and told him so before the song was released.

“In the face of this rejection, the defendants arrogantly and unilaterally decided that they would simply steal ‘I Feel Love’ and use it without permission,” the lawsuit states.

The reputation issue raised by the estate’s executors allegedly includes Ye’s numerous public anti-Semitic tirades, including praise of Adolf Hitler that led to Adidas ending its billion-dollar footwear partnership with him, as well as his previous statement that slavery was something black Americans could have avoided because it was “a choice.”

On June 20, attorneys for both parties announced that they had “entered into a settlement agreement that represents a complete and final resolution of all claims.”

“We did not license the song,” Sudano explained. “As part of the settlement, they agreed not to distribute the song or use it in any other way. So we got what we wanted.”

Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The lawsuit made it clear that Summer’s estate was concerned not only with the commercial value of “I Feel Love,” but also with preserving Summer’s legacy.

“West is known as a controversial public figure whose conduct has caused numerous brands and business partners to distance themselves from him,” the complaint states.

Summer, the Queen of Disco, died of lung cancer in 2012 at the age of 63.

“I Feel Love,” co-written by Summer, Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, was part of their 1977 album “I Remember Yesterday,” a milestone in electronic dance music.