Kanye West settles with Hungarian singer who filed $2.5million lawsuit accusing the hip-hop artist of stealing his work in the 2013 track 'New Slaves'

  • Kanye West reached a settlement with a Hungarian rock singer Gabor Presser
  • Presser claimed 85 seconds of his 1969 song 'Gyongyhaju Lany,' which he wrote while he was a keyboardist in the band Omega, was used without permission 
  • Presser didn't know his song had been sampled until he was contacted by West's lawyers, who pressured him to give his permission before they sent $10k check
  • Presser did not cash check and later filed a $2.5million lawsuit instead
  • They settled for an undisclosed sum two days before West's deposition

By Jessica Chia For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:08 EDT, 24 March 2017 | Updated: 16:56 EDT, 24 March 2017

Kanye West reached a settlement with a Hungarian rock singer who sued the hip-hop artist for sampling his song on the 2013 track 'New Slaves' without permission.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but musician Gabor Presser, who described himself as a 'living legend' in Hungary, said: 'I am very glad it is over.'

Presser's $2.5million lawsuit claimed 85 seconds of his 1969 song 'Gyongyhaju Lany,' which he wrote while he was a keyboardist in the band Omega, was used without permission or royalties.

Kanye West reached a settlement with a Hungarian rock singer Gabor Presser, who claimed the hip-hop artist sampled his 1969 song 'Gyongyhaju Lany' in the 2013 track 'New Slaves'
Hungarian rock singer Gabor Presser

Kanye West reached a settlement with a Hungarian rock singer Gabor Presser, who claimed the hip-hop artist sampled his 1969 song 'Gyongyhaju Lany' in the 2013 track 'New Slaves'

'New Slaves,' the first single on West's No. 1 album Yeezus, was released in 2013 as a critique of racism.

To promote the album ahead of its release, West projected a video of New Slaves on 66 buildings around the world. 

Presser said he did not know his 1969 song, which he called 'one of the most beloved pop songs ever in Hungary and across Eastern Europe', had been used until West's own lawyers contacted him.

'New Slaves,' was the first single on West's album Yeezus

'New Slaves,' was the first single on West's album Yeezus

They pressured him to give his permission within 24 hours, he said - apparently due to the timeline for the video projections.

When Presser asked for more time, he said West's lawyers refused to negotiate 'in good faith,' and instead sent him a $10,000 check with the expectation of an agreement.

The Hungarian artist said he did not accept the advance and continued trying to reach an arrangement with West's lawyers.

West played a video of New Slaves on buildings around the world. Gabor said West's lawyers pressured him to give his permission- apparently due to the timeline for the projections

West played a video of New Slaves on buildings around the world. Gabor said West's lawyers pressured him to give his permission- apparently due to the timeline for the projections

Presser later filed a $2.5 million lawsuit seeking damages for copyright infringement.

The parties settled on Monday, two days before West was scheduled for a deposition.  A notice that they agreed to dismiss the case was made public on Thursday in Manhattan federal court.

'The matter has been resolved amicably,' Peter Cane, a lawyer for Presser, said on Friday.

Lawyers for West and co-defendant Sony Corp's Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Recording stars are often sued in the United States for song theft, as in a case filed last month against U2 in the Manhattan court. Few such cases go to trial, and many are resolved out of court. 

Gabor Presser, who described himself as a 'living legend' in Hungary, was a keyboardist for the band Omega when he wrote 'Gyongyhaju Lany,' which is translated as 'Pearls in Her Hair'

Gabor Presser, who described himself as a 'living legend' in Hungary, was a keyboardist for the band Omega when he wrote 'Gyongyhaju Lany,' which is translated as 'Pearls in Her Hair'

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