Gang life marked by death and prison is a common theme not subject to copyright, a federal appeals court held in affirming dismissal of a suit by an author who claimed recording artist 50 Cent stole from his autobiography.

The “story of an angry and wronged protagonist who turns to a life of violence and crime has long been part of the public domain,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled on Jan. 11 in Winstead v. Jackson, 11-3771.