LA Guitarist Sues Coldplay for Plagiarism
Friday, Dec 5, 2008 | Updated 2:47 PM PST
Getty Images for AMA
Coldplay performs during the 2008 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre LA LIVE on November 23, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Hours after receiving seven Grammy Awards nominations, the British pop band Coldplay on Thursday was sued in Los Angeles federal court by Los Angeles rock guitarist Joe Satriani for allegedly plagiarizing one of his songs.
According to the complaint for copyright infringement, Coldplay "copied and incorporated substantial original portions" of Satriani's guitar instrumental "If I Could Fly" without permission as the basis for "Viva la Vida," the title track of Coldplay's top-selling current album.
The title "Viva la Vida" itself was borrowed from a Frida Kahlo painting, said Coldplay's singer Chris Martin, who is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
"If I Could Fly" appeared on Satriani's 2004 album "Is There Love in Space?" Satriani's lawsuit demands a jury trial, damages and "any and all profits" attributable to the alleged copyright infringement.
A call to Satriani's Century City attorney, Howard King, was placed after hours today and was not returned.
Coldplay's Grammy nominations, announced Wednesday, include album and record of the year for "Viva la Vida," which has sold millions of copies worldwide.
