Gang life marked by death and prison is a common theme not subject to copyright, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 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 Third Circuit ruled on January 11 in Winstead v. Jackson.