Dua Lipa has officially resolved a high-stakes copyright dispute regarding the unauthorized use of a talk-box recording in her hit single “Levitating.”
Following a joint filing in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday, November 9, 2026, the case brought by musician Bosko Kante has been dismissed with prejudice.
The dismissal, which prohibits Kante from bringing the same claims against Lipa, producer Stephen Kozmeniuk, and Warner Records again, concludes a legal battle that began in July 2023. While the filing confirms the end of the litigation, it does not specify whether a financial settlement was reached, and the terms of the resolution remain undisclosed.
The conflict centered on Kante’s contribution to the original 2020 track. Kante, a co-founder of ElectroSpit, alleged that while he had an oral agreement to provide a talk-box performance for the original version of “Levitating,” the defendants were explicitly prohibited from reusing or sampling his work for subsequent versions.
The lawsuit claimed that his performance was incorporated into three specific remixes without permission, including the version featuring DaBaby, a remix featuring Madonna and Missy Elliott, and a version created for the American Music Awards.
Kante's complaint states that “no written agreement, including any sort of 'work for hire' was ever executed.”
In his initial complaint, Kante sought at least $2 million in damages, alongside a portion of profits he estimated to exceed $20 million. He further argued that he was entitled to partial ownership of the copyright for the remixes.
The defendants had previously attempted to have the case dismissed, but in September 2024, Judge Hernán D. Vera ruled that the case could proceed, noting that there was no requirement for the plaintiff to identify the specific seconds of his recording used in the remixes.
British pop star Dua Lipa and "talk box" musician Bosko Kante have agreed to end a copyright lawsuit that accused Lipa of misusing his work in remixes of her hit song "Levitating," according to a filing in Los Angeles federal court. https://t.co/Y76wnK9gNl
Under the conditions of the final filing, both Kante and the defendants have agreed to cover their own respective legal fees and costs. This resolution marks the end of the dispute concerning the remixes, distinguishing it from previous, unrelated copyright claims against Lipa regarding the original version of “Levitating,” which the singer successfully defended in court.
Dua Lipa ‘Levitating’ Copyright Case Over ‘Talk Box’ Ends With Settlement https://t.co/27V5lHAQAI
Dua Lipa ‘Levitating’ Copyright Case Over ‘Talk Box’ Ends With Settlementhttps://t.co/YkVoYoiv44
