Wasn't it Belgium who banned Madonna's 'Frozen' for about 10 years because it apparently contained a minuscule similarity to another track. I know the ban was overturned a few years back, and she completely ignored it when she performed it on her tour in that country.

Just checked, and yes it was Belgium

Yet another reason to love Belgium, a nation of eccentrics.

Those cases are strange because the reports suggest that there was almost no proof that the alleged plagiarists had heard the original songs. Yet you cannot commit plagiarism unless you have had an opportunity to see or hear the work you are alleged to have copied.

I think the fact that the Belgian song and "You Are Not Alone" were exactly the same might have persuaded the court that there's no way it was a coincidence.

All this kind of reminds me of this;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYzVMcgWhg

you have to be so careful when wrting to make sure that you're not copying something, even if it is an accident.
Being a songwriter and being married to another songwriter is quite good for this. Every so often one of us can be messing around, forming a new song when the other will start singing a song that is very similar. Often, it's not done on purpose, but there's only so many pleasing combinations of chords and melody

I'm a massive Madonna fan (I don't mean massive as in my weight!), but I am a bit dubious about a song on her new album. It might even explain the lack of album credits. Devil Pray sounds virtually the same as The House of the Rising Sun.

I'm fairly confident that 'Say You'll Be There' by the Spice Girls plagiarises something that I like from the 70's, a soul or funk tune but I can never remember what.

'Stairway to Heaven' blatantly plagiarises 'Taurus' by Spirit.

The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" was found to have plagarised the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time".

It seems Mr Weller was listening to the Beatles - Taxman around the time he wrote The Jam's "start."

Not quite true. They got permission to use a bit of the Orchestral version of The Last Time. However Alan Klein (owner of the Stones 60s output. Which he swindled from the band) decided they used to much of it. So he sued them and they lost so now all the royalties from the song. Including the Lyrics which were written by Richard Ashcroft and had nothing to do with the Stones. Go partly to Jagger and Richards and a load to ABKCO records. The Verve get nothing.

Example - Kids Again

http://youtu.be/0wyoKWgy3SE (Skip to 1:20)

Sounds exactly like

Girls Aloud - Something New

http://youtu.be/ZHSFTrcJYmM (Skip to 0:30)

little black submarines by the black keys reminds me of stairway to heaven.

I thought Keith Richards also helped write the lyrics. After his contribution, surely he would have advised Ashcroft that the song's melody sounds too close to one of his own hits.

KellY Clarkson Heartbeat Song chorus https://youtu.be/d4_6N-k5VS4?t=1m

JimmY eat World in the Middle chorus https://youtu.be/oKsxPW6i3pM?t=1m14s

No Keith had nothing to do with the lyrics. To be honest he had nothing to do with the music. The sampled recording is the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, Oldham was the former Stones manger. I never thought it sounded much like the Last Time Riff anyway.

Richard Ashcroft was quoted at the time as saying "It's the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years". He also said it was going to be a 50/50 split on royalites until Alan Klien saw how well the record was doing. They were given an Ultimatum 100% or you take it out of the shops.

Alan Klein's Company still makes millions from the Stones 60s records.

The Wanted's We Own the Night sounds really similar to Fun's Some Nights. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76xB_19Jl40

Sam Smith Stay With Me copies Tom Petty I Won't Back Down

The chorus of Queen's "Breakthru" bears more than a passing resemblence to Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" from a few years previous...

ELO - 10538 Overture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ3DOnkUtDQ

and

Paul Weller -The Changing Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YTaQ30p-e4


Theft by Paul Weller. No other word for it.

I'm surprised no one sued Syco for some of One Direction songs.

What Makes You Beautiful has a similar melody like Summer Nights, Best Song Ever like Baba O'Riley from The Who, while Live While You're Young has the similar melody of Should I Stay Or should I Go.

However, Deff Lepard had the best chance to actually succeed as Midnight Memories has almost exact chorus of Pour Some Sugar On Me.

But of course, no one is crazy enough to actually piss off the overly passionate 1D fans who would send death threats.


Sara Bareilles' Brave and Katy Perry's Roar are also very similar and it could be considered as plagiarism but Sara got the recognition thanks to the scandal so it worked perfectly for her

Malcolm McLaren – Deep in Vogue (1989)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9KDmJQjS_0

Madonna – Vogue (1990)

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

Neither invented voguing, but Madonna's song sounds a lot like Malcolm's.

I also think Madonna's Holiday (1983) sounds like The Look of Love (1982) by ABC.

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

A lot of people think that 10538 Overture is heavily influenced by Dear Prudence by the Beatles.

Likewise, Sunflower by Paul Weller has a very similar sound.

But is a similar sound enough to justify accusations of plagiarism?

I think not.
They all have influences rooted in classical anyway.

The Kelly Clarkson Jimmy Eat World one is so blatant a straight lift from the melody.

I can't have any of that sub-conscious influence tripe with this one I'm afraid.

George Michael got sued over "Last Christmas" by Wham, by the publishers of "Can't Smile without you" recorded by Barry Manilow amongst others.

It was settled out of court and GM was cleared of any wrongdoing.

However - Wham gave all proceeds from Last Christmas to Band Aid, so there was a bit of an issue about getting royalties redirected should the court case have gone ahead.