Drake Copyright Lawsuit Over 'Janice STFU' Dropped After 11 Days

A songwriter who accused Drake of stealing the chorus of his hit song "Janice STFU" has withdrawn his federal copyright lawsuit just 11 days after filing it, ending the case without a court ruling on the allegations.

Oregon producer Aviel Calev Hirschfield voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit Tuesday, October 27, 2026, without prejudice, leaving him the option of pursuing the claims again. The complaint, filed October 16 in Los Angeles federal court, alleged that Drake used a chorus Hirschfield wrote and recorded months before the song's release without giving him songwriting credit or compensation.

Drake's representatives rejected the allegations, describing the lawsuit as "manufactured and baseless." They maintained that the rapper wrote the song himself and had no connection to Hirschfield. The complaint also named OVO Sound, UMG Recordings and Universal Music Publishing as defendants.

Hirschfield alleged that he developed the chorus in January after listening to Lykke Li's 2011 song "I Follow Rivers." He claimed he recorded his original lyrics and melody over an instrumental supplied by producers connected to Drake before sending the material to people associated with the rapper.

According to the complaint, the chorus later appeared word for word on "Janice STFU," released in May on Drake's Iceman album. The song became one of the rapper's biggest commercial successes, spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 20 weeks atop the Hot Rap Songs chart.

Questions about Hirschfield's account intensified after an alleged early demo surfaced on X, featuring a pitched-down vocal performing the disputed chorus. His representatives maintained that multiple experts had examined the recording's metadata and verified its authenticity.

The claimed creation date also drew scrutiny. Hirschfield alleged that he recorded the chorus in January, but one of the track's producers told Billboard that the instrumental was not created until March. The competing accounts raised questions about the demo's timeline, although the court made no findings concerning its authenticity or when the music was produced.

Hirschfield, 33, is a Portland-based producer and audio engineer whose professional credits include work on Beyoncé's 2022 album Renaissance. He and Drake are both listed among contributors to the song "Heated," although published credits differ regarding Hirschfield's specific role in the recording.

The lawsuit sought recognition of Hirschfield's alleged contribution to "Janice STFU" and compensation for the claimed unauthorized use of his work. His representatives maintained that the chorus originated with him, while Drake's team denied that the rapper had received or copied his material.

Hirschfield withdrew the complaint without publicly explaining his decision. A voluntary dismissal without prejudice ends the current proceeding but generally permits the claims to be filed again, subject to applicable legal restrictions.

The dismissal leaves the competing accounts unresolved. No court has determined whether Hirschfield wrote the disputed chorus or whether Drake infringed his copyright.