The Weeknd Beats Some Claims in ‘A Lonely Night’ Copyright Case

The Weeknd beat some claims in a case brought by three British songwriters who say “Starboy” track “A Lonely Night” infringes their copyright, in a decision by the Central District of California.

Singer Abel Tesfaye couldn’t have infringed both directly and secondarily, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said.

British songwriters William Smith, Brian Clover, and Scott McCulloch said they sold “I Need to Love” and two other songs to Big Life Music before Universal bought the company in 2008. According to the complaint, Universal told the songwriters in November 2016 that it “relinquished any and ...