Spotify is challenging Drake‘s legal filing that claims they colluded with UMG to artificially inflate Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
Spotify Files Motion to Dismiss Drake Legal Filing
On Friday (Dec. 20), attorneys for Spotify filed a response to Drake’s pre-action petition. In the filing, the legal team calls Drake’s claims false.
“The predicate of Petitioner’s entire request for discovery from Spotify is false: there is no such agreement. In any event, however, the Petition is legally deficient and should be denied,” the lawyers wrote.
“Petitioner offers only information–and–belief speculation rather than well–pled facts,” the filing continues. “And the Petition does not demonstrate how those speculative allegations make out the elements of the civil RICO, deceptive business practices, and false advertising claims Petitioner seeks to assert.”
A spokesperson for Spotify has also offered the following statement to XXL:
“Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream ‘Not Like Us’ over any of Drake’s tracks. Only one of Spotify for Artists’ tools, Marquee, was purchased on behalf of the song, for €500 to promote the track in France. Marquee is a visual ad that is disclosed to users as a Sponsored Recommendation.”
Read More: Fans React to Drake Taking Legal Action Against UMG and Spotify for Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”
Did Drake’s Legal Action Backfire on Him?
Back on Nov. 25, Drake filed two pre-action petitions against UMG in New York and Texas Supreme Court. The New York filing claims UMG and Spotify used bots and payola to boost the numbers of K-Dot’s chart-topping Drake diss song. In doing so, Drake claims the companies violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the NY Deceptive Business Act and the NY False Advertising Act.
The Texas filing accuses UMG and iHeartRadio of a similar scheme in addition to defamation claims. The move has led to Drake being chastised by some fans on social media who presume the filing was made because Drake was salty over being bested in the rap battle with Kendrick.
Both of the cases will be heard in court in January.
