Rapper 50 Cent has seen a copyright infringement case against him dropped after a Miami, Florida judge ruled his 2003 hit In Da Club bears little resemblance to a song by former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell.

The hip-hop star - real name Curtis Jackson - was accused of stealing the opening line of the track from Campbell's 1994 song It's Your Birthday.

However, US District Judge Paul C Huck declared yesterday the disputed phrase was a "common, unoriginal, and noncopyrightable element of the song" and was not entitled to copyright protection.

He added that, apart from the opening phrase, the tracks were widely different.

The original lawsuit was filed in Miami federal court in January and alleged 50 Cent only changed one word from the opening line of Campbell's song.

After repeating the word "go" several times, "Sheila" becomes "shorty" in the line, "Go shorty, it's your birthday." Campbell's track appeared on his solo album Still A Freak For Life.

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)