Pop superstar Ariana Grande has settled a federal copyright infringement lawsuit related to use of an image of a woman in a candle flame in the music video for "God Is a Woman."
Vladimir Kush, owner of Kush Fine Art in Las Vegas, had filed a complaint accusing Grande, Universal Music Group, video director Dave Meyers and video producer Nathan Scherrer and his company Freenjoy, Inc. of using an image of a candle that was identical to paintings that he had painted and copyrighted in 1999 and 2000.
In the music video, Grande is shown dancing inside the flame of a candle and Kush claimed it was "strikingly similar" to his signature artwork titled "The Candle."
The video has been viewed more than 241 million times since it was posted July 13, 2018.
"The matter was settled to the satisfaction of all the parties," says Lincoln Bandlow, attorney for Grande, UMG, Meyers, Scherrer and Freenjoy.
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