Coldplay's copyright infringement?

[deleted3782]

From Techdirt:

Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani has sued Coldplay for copyright infringement over claims that their hit single, Viva La Vida, used "substantial original portions" of his song If I Could Fly from 2004, seeking damages for "any and all profits." The lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles federal court. Call me a skeptic, but it was just back in June when we wrote about a band called Creaky Boards making a similar claim. The difference is that the Creaky Boards didn't sue. They made a cheeky video and used the opportunity to get some attention (also, later retracting the statement after Coldplay refuted it). However, one notable difference here is that Coldplay was very unlikely to have heard the Creaky Boards song, while Joe Satriani is well known, especially among guitarists. When you listen to this clip, the melodies are certainly very similar.

Compare the two songs here.

What do you think?

 

[mindseye]

I'm not surprised -- they took Speed of Sound from Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill (source).

This sort of 'plagiarism' doesn't bother me, though -- there are so many songs out there, and so (relatively) few arrangements of do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, that it's almost impossible to avoid duplicating something someone else has written. I'll sometimes realize that the melody that I've been working on is one that I heard -- almost subliminally -- in a cafe or an elevator somewhere that bubbled into my conscious mind in a different form.

In cases like that, I think a small tribute toward the influencing composer is fine. I hope Satriani wins his case and receives a token monetary judgement (or, that Coldplay settles out of court for a modest sum).

 

[B_Austin Blue]

Similar but they are different.

 

[tripod]

There ain't no way in hell that they heard that song. They are similar, but both contain a childlike melody that is really not unique to those two songs.

I don't mean to be cruel to Joe but, I as well as many others stopped listening to him in 1990. His old shit is still dominant and still rocks though.

 

[camchain]

well done, good on ay joe. can't stand the boiring band.

 

[Qua]

This sort of 'plagiarism' doesn't bother me, though -- there are so many songs out there, and so (relatively) few arrangements of do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, that it's almost impossible to avoid duplicating something someone else has written. I'll sometimes realize that the melody that I've been working on is one that I heard -- almost subliminally -- in a cafe or an elevator somewhere that bubbled into my conscious mind in a different form.

In cases like that, I think a small tribute toward the influencing composer is fine. I hope Satriani wins his case and receives a token monetary judgement (or, that Coldplay settles out of court for a modest sum).

They'll settle out of court.

The finite (thought not really) arrangement issue is why "substantial" infringement is needed. A full eight notes of that melody are identical, over an identical chord progression.

I was actually going to start this thread myself. Given how much I loathe the song in question I was rather annoyed when I saw the comparison video a few months ago, and I think Satriani is in the right by at least bringing it to suit. Apparently he's tried numerous times to simply talk to the band about it and they have refused.


On a side note, Vida La Vida and Colplay have been nominated for seven grammys. OH man! Unfortunately that's absolutely meaningless. Did you know the nominations for the Grammys are submitted by the record companies themselves? It's all just a bullshit publicity engine designed to make artists seem legitimate. I mean, I know everyone thought they were a farce anyways, but they're a completely staged farce.

 

[surferboy]

they sound very similar, but are clearly different.

also, for some amusement, watch these:

YouTube - Similarities in songs... Just for fun!!!
YouTube - Similarities in songs - part 2... Just for fun!!!
YouTube - Similarities in songs - part 3 !!