Biography & Early Wealth Journey

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

They made that determination after being informed in court that "Dark Horse" had generated about $41 million in total revenue. Perry took about $3 million of that, with the rest going to Capitol, while Capitol's attorneys maintained in court that after revenue the label saw a fraction of that figure in profits.

The ruling puts Perry's hit in company with other recent pop smashes that have become subject to courtroom litigation, like "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

There's still one more hurdle for Flame to actually see these damages, though. Attorneys for Capitol Records and Perry have filed a motion imploring U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder to rule "no reasonable jury" would consider "Dark Horse" to be a copy of "Joyful Noise," based on the evidence seen and heard by the jurors during the trial. If that happens, the damages ruling would be overridden, and the people behind "Dark Horse" wouldn't be liable for any of it.