Uptown Funk Lawsuit

[FilterFunk]

It sounds like it's gotten to the point where lawsuits are initiated simply because one song reminds someone of another song. If that's the case, who wouldn't get sued?!

I think we now have a bunch of opportunistic has-beens who believe that many of today's artists and songwriters would rather just pay an acceptable amount than go through the hassle of court proceedings, even if the accused artists and songwriters know that the plagiarism accusations are bogus. Cash settlements are a quick and easy payday for the has-beens, and a way for today's artists to get on with their careers.

 

[I am Soma]

anything that stops or delays bruno mars from putting out more music would make me and my ears happy. oh snap!

 

[FilterFunk]

I'm pretty sure we're all opposed to true plagiarism, but it's getting to the point where you can't put together a new song that's reasonably pleasing to the ear without trodding on somebody's copyright, or at least without your song bearing some passing resemblance to a previously copyrighted song.

And this is nothing new.

The Jacksons' "Shake Your Body" sounds quite a bit like Teddy Pendergrass's "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose." Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do" sounds quite a bit like Stealers Wheel's "Stuck In The Middle With You." Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"/Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen." Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and the Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA." James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World"/Alicia Keys's "Fallin'." The list goes on and on.

And how many songs are direct or indirect offspring of James Brown's many influential grooves?

 

[PortlandBass77]

While these frivolous lawsuits are making an already bad excuse for a music industry even worst, this one sounds like it might have some merit.

I am completely against it however as with the other such lawsuits there is too much potential to set a precedent to limit creativity and openings for aspiring musicians in the music industry.

Copyright law (as written) is extremely outdated and limits innovation. We need a solution that allows more people to enter the music industry while still maintaining moderate protections for the work of others.

 

[PaulReside]

This is why I don't listen to the radio or any popular music. If I'm ever sued I can claim complete ignorance.

 

[Tjazz5]

Almost seems like people are copping the essence of someone's music not so much the physical parts on a piece and that is what they trip out on. I only thought the intro favored Bruno's track.

 

[fingerguy]

Before you read this NOTE I am NOT taking sides on this.

Now with that said, I LOVE the song. I think it's fun and has a nice groove.

But LONG BEFORE THIS LAWSUIT I always said the song reminds me of something that I am pretty sure I heard in the movie from the 80's Breakin? Remember the Breakdancing days? Well it was either in the 1st one of the 2nd one...yeah they made a part 2 and yes I loved it. Yes I had cardboard on my driveway, yes I looked like an idiot, yes I had fun...oh just forget it.

 

[FilterFunk]

If "reminds me of" becomes the main criterion for plagiarism, the music industry has a real problem on its hands.

And as I said in post #23, song similarity is nothing new. In fact, the examples I included in that post are more similar to each other than "Uptown Funk" is to the songs it supposedly rips off.

 

[Clark Dark]

Before you read this NOTE I am NOT taking sides on this.

Now with that said, I LOVE the song. I think it's fun and has a nice groove.

But LONG BEFORE THIS LAWSUIT I always said the song reminds me of something that I am pretty sure I heard in the movie from the 80's Breakin? Remember the Breakdancing days? Well it was either in the 1st one of the 2nd one...yeah they made a part 2 and yes I loved it. Yes I had cardboard on my driveway, yes I looked like an idiot, yes I had fun...oh just forget it.

but did you do the broom dance like Boogaloo Shrimp?

There's only 7 letters in the musical alphabet and sometimes words are going to sound alike, it doesn't mean there's a direct rip off.

 

[fingerguy]

but did you do the broom dance like Boogaloo Shrimp?

Actually...I might have. I was trying to find myself.

 

[JRA]

i agree with all of you who are offended by the audacity of collage (or their attorneys, minions, wee ones, etc.): doesn't sound like 'rip-off grade' stuff to my ears.

but just in case: does anyone have bruno mars' mailing address?

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Before you read this NOTE I am NOT taking sides on this.

Now with that said, I LOVE the song. I think it's fun and has a nice groove.

But LONG BEFORE THIS LAWSUIT I always said the song reminds me of something that I am pretty sure I heard in the movie from the 80's Breakin? Remember the Breakdancing days? Well it was either in the 1st one of the 2nd one...yeah they made a part 2 and yes I loved it. Yes I had cardboard on my driveway, yes I looked like an idiot, yes I had fun...oh just forget it.

Electric Boogaloo was better.

 

[Remyd]

Really? Nobody else hears that? Same rhythm guitar, same background, same groove, same melodic elements? Maybe not 100%, but that's awfully close to be coincidental. Were I that crappy band, I would also consider that stolen work.

 

[Axstar]

Bruno Mars was clearly paying a big homage to music of that era, using many sonic cues along the way. I'm not convinced Collage can lay sole claim to having invented that sound. Personally I also think Uptown Funk is a far stronger track, musically.

 

[logicman69]

Nah... Both are pretty generic funk guitar rhythms. Not enough to say its a "rip off" To me its a gone-nowhere band trying to make a buck off the success of a popular tune.

 

[corinpills]

There's an old saying from the heyday of British rock: where there's a hit, there's a writ. I see this one going nowhere. You can't copyright the general sound of 80s funk. There are hundreds of records from that time that sound like that.

 

[twinjet]

They sound similar in style and instrumentation, but they are clearly two separate songs.

 

[RichardW]

Not even close. Can you imagine if this sort of thing happened in the Blues community? The Robert Johnson estate would be suing Willie Dixon, who'd be suing Little Walter, who'd be suing Muddy Waters, who'd be suing Howlin' Wolf, who'd be suing John Lee Hooker, who'd be suing Charlie Patton, who'd be suing Blind Lemon Jefferson, etc., etc. ad nauseam.

 

[Kukulkan61]

If anything Colage should pay Bruno for polishing up what they attempted, theirs is Lame Bruno tore it up...

 

[xed]

I was actually expecting to hear Morris Day when the vocals kicked in. I guess the Time (or whomever is currently in charge of Prince's music rights) could sue Bruno Mars based on nearly every song the Time was ever associated with. This is beyond ridiculous.

EDIT: since Led Zeppelin (who I love) won their Stairway lawsuit in a case that in my opinion doesn't get any more clear cut as one where someone DID completely rip a song off then I can't imagine any other "they ripped my song off" ever winning in court. I love Zep but good lord; doesn't much more of a blatant rip off than that.