Kraftwerk Loses Two-Decade-Long Copyright Dispute After Court Rules Unauthorized Sample Was a ‘Pastiche’

Home Music News Apr 22, 2026 12:11pm PT Kraftwerk Loses Two-Decade-Long Copyright Dispute After Court Rules Unauthorized Sample Was a ‘Pastiche’ By Andrew Flanagan Plus Icon Andrew Flanagan Latest Music Industry Moves: Laufey Re-Ups With Warner Chappell, Will Receive ASCAP’s Creative Voice Award; Miles Gersh Upped to EVP at Warner Records 2 weeks ago Latin Music’s U.S. Revenue Tops $1 Billion, Per RIAA Report 2 weeks ago Universal Music Chief Lucian Grainge Explains His Excitement for AI at Nvidia Conference: ‘I Love Disruption’ 1 month ago See All Photo + © 2023 Peter Boettcher A circuitous and protracted copyright infringement case first brought by German electronic-music pioneers Kraftwerk in 2004 has finally been settled — and not in the pioneering electronic group’s favor. The European Court of Justice, the principal judicial authority of the E.U., decided on April 14 that an unapproved, two-second sample of Kraftwerk’s 1977 song “Metall auf Metall” used by producer Moses Pelham in the 1997 single “Nur mir” was legal. Related Stories 'Mother Mary' Review: Anne Hathaway Plays a Gaga Pop Star, and Michaela Coel Is Her Designer, in David Lowery's Thuddingly Pretentious Fantasia