haters gon hate

Taylor Swift Says No One Can Own the Idea of Players Who Will Play

Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Players have been playing and haters have been hating since the beginning of time – that’s Taylor Swift’s story and she’s sticking to it. In response to a lawsuit filed by the writers of 3LW’s aughts-pop classic “Playas Gon’ Play” last year accusing Swift’s “Shake It Off” of cribbing their lyrics, TMZ reports that Swift’s team wants to have Sean Hall and Nathan Butler’s case dismissed. They believe the lyrics in question — 3LW’s ““The playas gon’ play / Them haters gonna hate” to Taylor’s “’Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play / And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate” — are too short to have any legal protection. Swift also does not believe that one can simply copyright the ethos of players and haters or “monopolize the idea that players will play and haters will hate.” It’s just a fact. A truth. A lifestyle, even. So don’t hate the player (in this case, Swift), hate the game (in this case, all of humanity).

Taylor Swift Responds to 3LW’s Haters Lawsuit