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Suit Against Bieber Next 'Blurred Lines' Case?
Pop star Justin Bieber should face the music ' or, more specifically, a jury ' on claims that his hit song “Somebody to Love” infringed on copyrighted material. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has revived the case, more than a year after Bieber's lawyers got the suit dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. A three-judge appellate panel found that Bieber and recording artist Usher's versions of the song had enough in common with an earlier song of the same name by musician Devin Copeland and his songwriting partner to send the dispute to a jury. Copeland v. Bieber, 14-1427.
“After listening to the Copeland song and the Bieber and Usher songs as wholes, we conclude that their choruses are similar enough and also significant enough that a reasonable jury could find the songs intrinsically similar,” Judge Pamela Harris of the Fourth Circuit wrote.
The judges delved into the nuances of song composition, finding “meaningful overlap” between the choruses of the different versions of “Somebody to Love.” The panel peppered its opinion with pop culture references, from the Beatles and Aretha Franklin to the White Stripes.
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