US singer, asking for more than an apology, sues Justin Bieber for ripping off hit single 'Sorry'

All in all, it's hard to deny that when it comes to bangerz, it's been a good year for Justin Bieber. Having launched as a fresh-faced teen, the Canadian singer's superstardom was solidified with the release of Purpose in 2015, with a slew of hit singles converting even the most ardent non-Belieber to the gospel teenage girls have held onto for half a decade. But dark clouds have suddenly appeared on Bieber's horizon, with a copyright infringement lawsuit now officially filed.

On Wednesday, singer Casey Dienel, better known by her stage name Winter Hinterland, officially launched legal proceedings against Justin Bieber and the music producer Skrillex over their work on the song Sorry. Dienel claims that her intellectual property was abused by the song, with its opening sample essentially taken from her 2014 song Ring the Bell.

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Lawyers for Dienel say "the vocal riff is qualitatively and quantitatively distinct and integral element of Ring the Bell," a song which was produced over four years of work. Dienel's complaint argues that the distinctive sound used throughout Ring the Bell "provides the introduction and primary musical motive for the structure of the song, and that Bieber and Skrillex used it for the same purpose in their hit, a song which reached the top of the charts in 19 countries worldwide.

To counter claims that their client's song was not well known enough, the legal team added that ring the Bell received a widespread commercial release and the song was selected by Rolling Stone magazine as one of its favourite songs of February 2014.

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Writing on her Facebook profile, Dienel claimed that she contacted Bieber's time in an effort to enter into a "private dialogue" about the music sample, but that "they refused to even acknowledge my claim."

Acknowledging that she has a legal battle to wage over the alleged infringement, Dienel added: "Justin Bieber is the world's biggest artist, and I'm sure that he and his team will launch a full attack against me. But, in the end, I was left with no other option. I believe I have an obligation to stand up for my music and art."

[Mashable]

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