50 Cent Didn't Steal In Da Club Line And May Play A Cop In New Movie

A copyright infringement lawsuit launched against 50 Cent has been dismissed by a federal judge in Miami, Fla.

The rapper had been accused of pilfering the opening line from his 2003 smash "In Da Club" from a 1994 song by former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell that appeared on his Still A Freak For Life album. The suit claimed that the "Go shorty, it's your birthday" line from "In Da Club" was taken from Campbell's song, "It's Your Birthday," which featured the line, "Go Sheila, it's your birthday."

But judge Paul C. Huck ruled that the disputed phrase was a "common, unoriginal and noncopyrightable element of the song" and wasn't entitled to copyright protection. He also wrote that there were almost no similarities between the two songs outside of the opening line, which represents just 11 seconds of a track that lasts more than three minutes. Huck judged that no reasonable jury would conclude that the two songs had substantial similarities and that the average person wouldn't confuse them.

Meanwhile, 50 Cent is focusing more attention on his burgeoning acting career. The star of last year's semi-autobiographical Get Rich Or Die Tryin' will be seen in movie theatres in January in the Iraq war-themed Home Of The Brave. He's also in negotiations to play Robert De Niro's police officer partner in a thriller titled New Orleans that's slated to be directed by Tim Hunter.