Drake's Federal Defamation Lawsuit Against UMG Over 'Not Like Us' Dismissed

Drake just took a big legal loss against his own record label ... because his federal defamation suit against Universal Music Group has been thrown out of court.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge ruled "the allegedly defamatory statements in 'Not Like Us' are nonactionable opinion." In other words, Drake can't sue for defamation over the song lyrics.

As you know ... Drake was suing UMG for releasing and promoting Kendrick Lamar's vicious diss track ... Drake claimed UMG knew full well Kendrick's lyrics and images in the music video, referring to Drake as a supposed pedophile, were false and dangerous.

In dismissing the lawsuit, the judge says "even accusations of criminal behavior are not actionable if, understood in context, they are opinion rather than fact."

Translation ... the fact the allegations are part of a diss track -- and not a news report -- means the average person would not interpret it as fact ... and therefore Drake can't sue.

The judge also says the average listener is not under the impression a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation.

The court also noted that Kendrick's pedophile line "was a direct callback to Drake's lyrics" in his previous diss track, "Taylor Made Freestyle."

A spokesperson for Universal Music Group tells TMZ ... "From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day.  We’re pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career."