Elton John -- Victorious in Lyric-Stealing Lawsuit

Elton John has won his legal war over the lyrics to his hit song "Nikita" -- an Illinois judge has dismissed the lawsuit against the singer, which alleged Elton lifted the words.

TMZ broke the story ... a songwriter named Guy Hobbs sued Elton back in April, claiming Elton jacked his lyrics ... then used them to pen the chart-topping 1985 hit "Nikita." Hobbs wrote a song called "Natasha" about a Western man falling for a Russian woman during the Cold War.

Elton shot back by asking the court to dismiss Hobbs' lawsuit -- claiming a Grammy-winning musician such as himself would never steal lyrics from some no-name songwriter. Elton also argued the theme of "Natasha" is too general to win copyright protection.