As we know Robin Thicke has just been successfully sued for plagiarism of the Marvin Gaye song " Got To Give It Up".

What songs do you think are so similar they could conceivably be the subject of lawsuits?

I remember the first time I played "Is She Really Going Out With Him" by Joe Jackson while my daughter was in the room.
She listened to the intro and when Jackson came in with the vocals her face was a picture of surprise and confusion; She was convinced she was listening to "Steady As She Goes" by The Raconteurs.
And,yes..the intro is pretty much identical.

If you've got a good lawyer, you used to able to say that something like "My Sweet Lord," is nothing like "He's so fine," because you'd never heard it before, despite the fact that the Beatles started off singing MoTown covers.

Was that George Harrison's defence? Seriously?!

Wikki says,

The verdict of the court was,
"Harrison was found to have subconsciously plagiarised the earlier tune, a verdict that had repercussions throughout the music industry. He claimed to have used the out-of-copyright "Oh Happy Day", a Christian hymn, as his inspiration for the song's melody."

That reads like a load of bollox.

In my book, that's copying, whatever way you dress it up.

I can't wait for the Really Wild Show to sue Mark Ronson. What a trial that will be.

Just listened to both on Youtube.

I'd forgotten what a great theme tune TRWS had..funky! An 80s / 90s tv show with a 70s quality theme tune.
Hard to believe, I know, but being the old fart that I am I'd never even heard 'Uptown Funk' until just now

Yes, I can here the similarity in the horn section.

No it wasnt. George admitted that if anything his song sounded more like "oh happy days"

To use a well known miss-quoted phrase or saying;

"Well he would say that, wouldn't he?"

I'm surprised the Gaye estate never sued Texas for say what you want, the line "and when I get that feeling" is lifted from Sexual Healing and delivered in identical fashion.

That Eurovision Song - Still In Love with You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6r1tUhl1cQ

Reminds me instantly of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbf4weFbuS8

I'm not so sure if its plagiarism but there is an obvious similarity there.

Yep.

I always wanted to sing "...I need sexual healing" when I heard that line.

To me in three parts of "Sober" from Little Big Town including the song's beginning, it sounds like a slower copy of "Cafe On The Corner" from Sawyer Brown is being played.

God bless you and both country acts always!!!

Hlly

BTW and

oh wait..

*places fire retardant shield on*

The chorus of these 2 songs (the lyrics are even similar for gods sake!)

John Newman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfihYWRWRTQ

Phd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMAU0EaH1Bk

Meghan Trainor - All About That Base
Cilla Black - Something Tells Me

Yeah it also has elements of 'I Wanna Be Like You'...

Bizarrely it also makes me think of this a little - https://youtu.be/VH8mQRXemuo

Also...WTF with our Eurovision entry?!?? Time for us to let it go.....

sweet little sixteen chuck berry and surfin usa by beach boys

Didn't Vanilla Ice get sued by David Bowie and Queen as he blatantly sampled 'Under Pressure' with his relaese of 'Ice Ice baby.'

Alexandra Burke's "Start without you", sounds awfully like "Hooray Hooray It's a happy holiday".

There's Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking out loud' and Van Morrison's 'Crazy Love' but sometimes influence is confused with copying.

Roger Waters said that Andrew Lloyd Webber nicked a chord Progression from the Pink Floyd song Echoes. For the start of Phantom of the Opera, however he also said life is to short to go and sue Andrew f*****ing Lloyd Webber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S3fpgrZ9ys

He got his own back in a line on a track called It's A Miracle on Amused To Death.

"We cower in our shelters, with our hands over our ears. Lloyd Webber's awful stuff runs for years and years and years. An earthquake hits the theatre, but the operetta lingers
Then the piano lid comes down and breaks his f*****g fingers. It's a miracle"

At the time of release I though Beyonce 'Ave Maria' was very similar to 'Promise to Try' by Madonna. Not heard it in years so I can't confirm if I feel the same way.

I am not a lawyer etc but I think that would be permitted under the "fair use" provisions of copyright law.

Michael Jackson 'You are not Alone' is banned in Belgium as it was found to plagiarise a 1993 song by two Belgian brothers. The song 'If We Can Start All Over'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PrJ7jf8cbI

'Will You Be There' was also in a suit with an Italian artist. He was awarded the case when Jackson didn't appear in court.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuk_tQ3MLWQ

As I've mentioned elsewhere, if the lazy way of writing a pop tune is employed, i.e. starting with a chord sequence. playing it and thinking about a melody as you play the chords, you're gonna get some similarities with other songs. The more time passes the fewer the ways you can string twelve notes together, because of the thousands of songs written each year.
There are exceptions, but the most enduring and original sounding songs are those where the melody is written first and the chords written around the notes of the song.