A federal judge has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Roddy Ricch over his hit song "The Box," which has garnered over 1.8 billion Spotify streams.

The lawsuit, filed by California musician Greg Perry (now represented by Peabody & Company following Perry's passing), alleged unauthorized use of elements from the 1975 track "Come On Down" in "The Box."

Judge Analisa Torres dismissed the case with prejudice, stating "no reasonable jury could find that the works are substantially similar." The court used an "ordinary observer test" to compare the songs, noting fundamental differences between "Come On Down" (described as "a soul song with a melodic tune") and "The Box" (characterized as "a hip-hop song delivered in a monotone rap").

The court determined that the elements cited by the plaintiff - including a "two-chord progression" and "an ascending scale played as a glissando" - weren't legally protectable. The ruling referenced Ed Sheeran's recent infringement suit victory over Structured Asset Sales as precedent.

"The Musical Composition differs from 'The Box' in each of the components where Plaintiff claims similarity," Judge Torres concluded. "Under the fragmented literal similarity test, Plaintiff has failed to demonstrate that Defendants copied any protectable portion of the Musical Composition."

This ruling marks a significant victory for Ricch and producer 30 Roc, who are now cleared of all infringement claims related to the hit song from Ricch's debut album, "Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial" (2019).

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