LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – The penalty phase of a copyright infringement trial over Katy Perry’s hit “Dark Horse” opened Tuesday (July 30), with attorneys for the creators of a Christian rap song telling jurors that the pop superstar’s 2013 song earned $41 million overall, according to The Associated Press.
While Perry’s lawyers have stated that her “Dark Horse” earnings amounted to $3.2 million, minus $800,000 in costs, most of the dispute will center on the $31 million Capitol Records received from the song, reports AP. The label contends that after factoring in costs, its profit was a mere $630,000. Either way, the figure will be key to determining how much Perry and her collaborators owe the makers of the 2009 song “Joyful Noise.”
Testimony about Capitol Records’ costs in creating and promoting “Dark Horse” will begin Wednesday.
On Monday, a jury returned a unanimous verdict that found the pop hit copied elements of “Joyful Noise,” a song Marcus Gray released under the stage name Flame.