Legal News

They ?Used to Ruuuule the World,? But Will Coldplay Rule the Courtroom?

By Ashby Jones

It’s been a good life for the lads from Coldplay. Hit records, international fame, Grammy awards, Gwyneth Paltrow. Aside from the occasional critical pan, they’ve had little to worry about.

But now, the boys have got a high profile lawsuit to deal with. Famed rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued the band, claiming the band’s ubiquitous song “Viva La Vida” (which was stuck in this Law Blogger’s head for a good portion of 2008), is largely a rip off of his own creation, a tune called “If I Could Fly.” Here’s the Reuters report; we haven’t yet been able to track down the complaint. Representatives for Coldplay did not comment to Reuters.

Apparently the similarity between the songs has been noticed before, and some particularly technologically adept folks have put together YouTube videos on the topic. Check out this one. Feel free to post your reactions below.

Photo: Getty Images

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on December 05, 2008 (boomark / email).