Justin Bieber and Usher facing trial over Somebody to Love plagiarism accusations
Justin Bieber and his mentor Usher are heading to trial over their hit song Somebody To Love after appeals court officials overturned a previous copyright infringement ruling.
The pop collaborators were hit with the $10 million plagiarism lawsuit in 2013 after songwriters Devin 'De Rico' Copeland and Mareio Overton alleged the original song and its remix, which featured Usher, bore striking similarities to their tune, also titled Somebody to Love, which they had written and recorded for Copeland's 2008 album, My Story II.
They claimed Usher had been exposed to the piece through mutual
acquaintances, but Virginia judge Arenda Allen dismissed the
accusations last year (14), declaring: "The songs cannot be
reasonably construed as being substantially similar. Although the
accused's songs have some elements in common with Plaintiffs' song,
their mood, tone, and subject matter differ significantly."
The plaintiffs challenged the ruling and took their case to a
federal appeals court, and now officials have sided with Copeland
and Overton, insisting they have grounds to take the issue to
trial, reports TMZ.com.
In their review, they state Bieber and Usher's hook has an "almost
identical rhythm and strikingly similar melody" to the lesser-known
musicians' 2008 release.