Will Ludacris And Kanye West's Defence Stand Up In Court?

Ludacris was in a New York City courtroom on Tuesday facing charges that he and Kanye West stole someone else's work when they co-wrote the 2003 single, "Stand Up," which sold more than 500,000 copies.

A New Jersey-based production company called BMS Entertainment/Heat Music LLC has sued the two men for breach of copyright, claiming that lyrics and beats from a song called "Straight Like That" were written by the group I.O.F. EMI April Music Publishing, Universal Music, Video Distribution Corp. and Def Jam Music Group are also named in the lawsuit.

Defence lawyer Christine Lepera claims that the first time Ludacris (real name Chris Bridges) and West heard the song was after the suit was filed.

The main contention is the use of the phrase "like that," which is repeated more than 80 times in each song. The Ludacris track uses "just like that," while the I.O.F. song uses "straight like that."

Attorney Mel Sachs, who represents I.O.F., said that he could prove that Ludacris and West had access to "Straight Like That," even though its airplay was limited to a handful of college radio stations in 2001. He argued that hundreds of demo copies of the song were in circulation and that one of Ludacris' record companies had contacted BMS Entertainment.

Both Ludacris and West are expected to testify at some point during the trial, which is expected to last up to two weeks. If the two stars are found liable, a second trial phase will determine the amount of damages they're liable for.