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Judge throws out Bieber song theft case
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 31 March 2014
A judge has thrown out a lawsuit being pursued by singer Devin Copeland and songwriter Mareio Overton over 2010 Justin Bieber hit ‘Somebody To Love’.
As previously reported, the claimants argued that the Bieber track was very similar to a song they had written. The allegation went that Copeland had shared the original song with Bieber mentor Usher, and that there had been talk of the two men collaborating, but then all communication went quite. Later Bieber’s ‘Somebody To Love’ appeared, with the pop tyke, Heather Bright and The Stereotypes credited as songwriters and Usher on backing vocals.
But the judge considering the case has ruled that – while there may be some themes in common between the two songs – they are not sufficiently similar to constitute plagiarism. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the judge ruled: “Although the accused songs have some elements in common with plaintiffs’ song, their mood, tone, and subject matter differ significantly”.
The judge also added that while there may be similarities between the tracks if you go looking for them, the average listener wouldn’t consider them the same. He said: “The judge adds: “Any listener who had not set out to detect the songs’ similarities would be inclined to overlook them, and regard the songs’ aesthetic appeal as different. Therefore, a reasonable juror could not conclude that a member of the public would construe the aesthetic appeal of the songs as being similar”.
