Usher, Justin Bieber and Devin 'The Dude' Voluntarily Dismiss Suit Over 'Somebody to Love'

After four years, a long-running copyright dispute from Devin "The Dude" against Usher and Bieber ends quietly.

A copyright case against Usher, Justin Bieber and the many companies in charge of overseeing their work's business -- Sony/ATV, Universal Music Group, Def Jam, Warner Bros. Music and Rhaka Publishing -- will be dismissed voluntarily by all parties involved, according to a court filing last week to the Eastern District Court of Virginia.

The case, first filed by Devin "The Dude" Copeland in 2013, centered around the song "Somebody to Love" from Bieber's album My World 2.0 and what Copeland thought was a copycat chorus in a song he wrote of the same name, which Copeland alleged was infringed after he played the song at various industry events and meetings around 2008. Copeland sought $10 million in damages.

The case took a noteworthy turn in June of 2015, when it was revived -- after being dismissed in March, 2014 -- by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after it examined the chorus and found a jury may agree with Copeland's allegations. Last month, however, the judge in the case recommended it be dismissed, dealing Copeland's case a significant blow.

Sony/ATV declined to comment, while Universal Music, Def Jam and representatives for Bieber and Usher did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attorneys for Copeland were not available for comment at press time.

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