Music Plagiarism: When lawyers are looking at the scores


The nod to the hardcore plagiarism through the technique of the sample, there are thousands of more or less recent cases where artists have "borrowed" a little or a lot of music to their peers. Litigation, however, remain rare.

Here are some classic examples, inspiring or just tasty, counterfeit music.


Vanilla Ice against Queen and David Bowie


In 1989 comes the B-side of a single hip hop what will become an intercontinental tube. "Ice Ice Baby" is still a monument of mainstream rap this early Ninetie's. Vanilla Ice, like many other rappers, uses a sample as a bass line, but without authorization he "borrowed" a tiny bit of "Under Pressure" by Queen, recorded with David Bowie. The legend says that Brian May, Queen guitarist has discovered the pot with pink hearing "Ice Ice Baby" at a nightclub in Germany and learning the song was No. 1 in the United States ...

Knowing that it is wrong, Vanilla Ice avoids a trial and arranges friendly with Queen by paying a big bundle of money ... The rapper, , yet explain if there has sample had the arrangement ultimately is not quite the same!


A hint of bad faith anyway ...


Chuck Berry against the Beach Boys


The Wilson brothers, when they create the Beach Boys in the early 60s, it's surfing, the beach parties, a hint of gospel music, and many rock n'roll. So it is natural that Brian, the eldest of the band, "pays tribute" to one of their sponsors, Chuck Berry. "Surfin 'USA", their first entry into the US Top 10, is a true copy, words aside, "Sweet Little Sixteen," released five years earlier. Immediately attacked by counsel for Berry, the Beach Boys bow, and will now have to pay royalties whose rocker declining much needed.


A small Youtube mounting to compare:


Dolly Parton against Led Zeppelin


What is beautiful with counterfeit stories is that they are an opportunity to completely improbable connections between certain artists. Yet in 1975 the intro of , American country superstar Dolly Parton literally pump the guitar chords , the mystic rock hard tube Led Zeppelin, released in 72. No complaint will be filed, and it was only much later that Dolly Parton will make this both a tribute to Led Zep quite honest (and full of banjo) resuming in 2002 ... "Stairway To Heaven".


John Fogerty John Fogerty against ...


After leaving his band Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty began a solo career often successful. But in 1984, he released a song, "The Old Man Down the Road", which looks like a bit much to hit its heyday with CCR, "Run Through The Jungle" ... The opportunity to profit easy for Fantasy Records, the company that still holds when the copyright of Creedence. Absurd situation: Fogerty sued for having copied itself! But there is a justice: the songwriter, came to the audience with his guitar to show the judges that the two pieces are different, will eventually succeed.






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