Drake Copyright Lawsuit Over Song “Janice STFU” Dropped Days After Filing

Songwriter Aviel Calev Hirschfield has voluntarily dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit he filed against Drake over the chorus of “Janice STFU,” ending the case 11 days after it began.

Hirschfield filed the complaint on Oct. 16 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, naming Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham), OVO Sound, UMG Recordings and Universal Music Publishing as defendants. The notice of dismissal, submitted Oct. 27 under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a), withdraws the action in its entirety without prejudice. That means Hirschfield is not barred from refiling the same claims later. The filing gives no reason for the withdrawal, and Hirschfield’s attorney declined to comment when reached by outlets. Drake’s representatives have not issued a new statement.

In the original complaint, Hirschfield alleged that the eight-line chorus of “Janice STFU” is “literally identical” in lyrics, melody and cadence to a demo he wrote and recorded between December 2025 and January 2026. He said he finished the recording in his Portland, Oregon home studio around Jan. 25 over an instrumental from production duo FnZ (Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac “Zac” De Boni), then sent it to FnZ and other producers in Drake’s circle without receiving a reply. When Iceman arrived on May 15, Hirschfield claimed he recognized the same chorus roughly 15 seconds into the track. The complaint stated that his manager later supplied stems with intact metadata to support the timeline, but that Drake’s side still refused credit or a share of publishing and accused him of altering the files.

Hirschfield, who records as GoodbyeCalev, previously shared writing and production credits with Drake on Beyoncé’s 2022 Renaissance track “Heated.” The chorus at issue, as described in the complaint, begins with the lines “Reach me, baby / Call my phone and say you need me, baby” and continues with references to Vancouver, a Maybach and heated seats. Both Hirschfield’s demo and the released song interpolate Lykke Li’s 2011 track “I Follow Rivers.” A recording matching the court exhibit later circulated online.

Drake’s team rejected the allegations the day the suit was filed. A representative told TMZ and other outlets that the claims were “categorically, unequivocally, and completely denied” and that “there is not one iota of truth to these accusations.” The representative called the lawsuit a “manufactured and baseless attempt” to exploit Drake’s name and success, adding that “Drake wrote this song and has no connection or knowledge of this person full stop.”

“Janice STFU” ranks as one of Drake’s strongest commercial releases in years. The song spent multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, logged an extended run at No. 1 on Hot Rap Songs, and generated hundreds of millions of streams. FnZ receive production and writing credits on the released version. Hirschfield registered his work as unpublished effective July 21, 2026, a detail that would have limited certain statutory damages remedies if the case had continued.

Because the dismissal occurred without a ruling on the merits, no court has determined whether the chorus was copied. The short duration of the case and the without-prejudice outcome leave the door open for potential future litigation while removing the immediate claim on the song’s profits.