He may be a College Dropout, but Kanye West didn't sleep through his German philosophy class. The rapper is fighting a lawsuit claiming he stole the lyrics for his hit song "Stronger" from another songwriter by countering that the famous chorus ("That that don't kill me, Can only make me stronger") is actually derived from the copyright-free words of 19th-century bard Friedrich Nietzsche ("That which does not kill us makes us stronger").

Billboard.com reports that in a brief submitted Friday, West's lawyers make the case that it's ludicrous for the plaintiff, Vincent Peters, to make a copyright allegation on a rap lyric said to derive from a century-old maxim.
Peters sued West in 2010 claiming that "Stronger," which has sold more digital downloads than any other of Ye's many hits, was an illegitimate copy of a song he recorded in 2006. Peters argued that he gave a copy of his song to West's business manager, John Monopoly, whom Peters believes passed it on to Kanye.

Earlier this year, a federal judge dismissed the claim, finding not enough substantial similarity between the two songs.

But Peters, perhaps taking inspiration from Nietzsche himself, was undeterred. He filed an appeal to a higher authority, prompting the Nietzsche defense from the GOOD Music boss's attorneys.

Apart from the hook, the two songs also share a title, and a reference to supermodel Kate Moss.