Music artists Justin Bieber and Skrillex, who collaborated on the hit song Sorry, have denied they stole the intro hook from 2014 White Hinterland song Ring the Bell.
Casey Dienel, who performs as White Hinterland, has sued Bieber and Skrillex for allegedly ripping off the riff.
Dienel’s lawsuit focuses primarily on the opening vocal melody, which she insists is virtually the same in both songs.
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Skrillex took to social media late Friday, posting this brief video on Twitter.
In the video, the electronic music producer shows how the riff was borne out of a writing session with singer-songwriter Julia Michaels.
Bieber retweeted Skrillex with the hashtag “#wedontsteal.”
Dienel claims Bieber’s management and legal teams have ignored her twice, despite trying to get in touch with them via various methods. She added she was left with “no other option” but to file a lawsuit in order to “stand up for my music and art.”
According to TMZ, the lawsuit lists the similarities between the two songs, and claims “the identical and/or striking similarity of Sorry to The Plaintiff’s song Ring the Bell surpasses the realm of generic coincidence and independent creation.”
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Specifically, Dienel says Bieber’s song steals eight seconds of Ring the Bell and loops it six times.
Listen for yourself:
The plaintiff is asking for an award of damages, and acknowledgment that the riff was used without permission. Dienel also wants an injunction preventing further infringement of Ring the Bell copyrights.
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