Did Justin Bieber steal the song ‘Sorry’? Singer being sued over copyright infringement
Is it too late now to say sorry? If you’re Justin Bieber, the answer is yes.
The 22-year-old is being sued along with his producer Skrillex for the 2015 hit “Sorry”. According to EW, singer-songwriter White Hinterland (real name Casey Daniel) says Justin’s song infringes the copyright of “Ring the Bell.” Daniel released the song in 2014, a year before Bieber’s “Sorry” was released.
In addition to Justin and his producer, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing and Universal Music are also listed within the suit.
Here is an excerpt from the suit against Justin:
“The identical and/or striking similarity of “Sorry” to Plaintiff’s song “Ring the Bell” surpasses the realm of generic coincidence and independent creation. … To write, create, produce, and record the song “Sorry”, the Defendants knowingly and unlawfully copied original, protectable elements of the musical composition of “Ring the Bell” and unlawfully sampled Plaintiff’s protectable sound recording of “Ring the Bell”.
Casey claims a letter was sent to Justin and company “informing them of infringement — along with a musicology report — but there was no response.”
In a similar suit from last year, Robin Thicke and his producer Pharrell were ordered to pay over $7 millions dollars to Marivn Gaye’s family when it was ruled “Blurred Lines” used Gaye’s song “Got to Give It Up” for their track.
To me, there’s no doubt that the melody for “Sorry”, specifically the intro, sounds pretty similar to “Ring the Bell”. I don’t have a musical ear or a law degree but I would imagine that Justin and Skrillex might have a battle on their hands.
What do you think? Are the songs similar enough for Casey Daniel to win a copyright infringement suit against The Biebs?
