India, May 14 -- On Tuesday, a federal jury in Los Angeles ruled against rapper Ye aka Kanye West in a copyright infringement case over the track MSD PT2, finding him liable for using an unlicensed sample. The case stems from a 2021 live performance of his song Hurricane in Atlanta. The case was filed by Khalil Abdul Rahman, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff, and Josh Mease, who claimed their work was used without permission. While the version of Hurricane on Ye's 2021 album Donda didn't include the sample, the case was about the live gig. Ye was ordered to pay $176,153 (overRs.1.68 crore) in damages, with an identical amount levied against his company. His entities Yeezy Supply and Mascotte Holdings were ordered to pay $40,000 each (nearly Rs.37 lakh). The plaintiffs' lawyer Britton Monts said, "It's a victory for artistes, who lack the resources to go against someone like Ye. The underdogs got their day in court." However, Ye's spokesperson called it "a failed shakedown": "The artistes led my client to believe he had permission to use their music." As per the plaintiffs, they shared MSD PT2 with Ye's team during early talks, expecting fair payment for any commercial use. While the sample was removed from the album, its use in the 2021 show was ruled to have amounted to infringement. As per testimonials produced in court, the event generated $5.5 million (Rs.52.54 crore) in revenue, a part of which was owed to the plaintiff's for the unauthorised use of the sample.htc...