Justin Timberlake has run into a bit of legal trouble. The singer is being sued by Cirque du Soleil for allegedly sampling one of their songs in his single Don't Hold The Wall, from his 2013 album The 20/20 Experience.Justin is accused of borrowing the single Steel Drum from the acrobatic troupe's 1997 album Quidam, according to TMZ.
Justin Timberlake is being sued by Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil filed a lawsuit in New York federal court this week seeking $800,000 in copyright infringement damages. Timbaland, J-Roc and James Fauntleroy – co-writers of Don't Hold The Wall – along with Sony Entertainment, Universal Music and WB Music Corp were also named as defendants.It's not the first time Justin has faced copyright infringement-related accusations. Earlier this year, the singer was sued by the 1970s rhythm and blues band Sly, Slick and Wicked over his hit track Suit & Tie. They alleged that the single borrowed elements from their song Sho' Nuff.One month later, in February, he was hit by a similar claim over Damn Girl, his collaboration with Will.I.Am – accused of using samples from Perry Kibble's A New Day Is Here At Last.
The singer is alleged to have sampled Steel Drum in his song Don't Hold The Wall
The news comes one year after Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were ordered to pay $4.7million to the family of Marvin Gaye. A judge ruled that the pair had breached the copyright of Marvin's 1977 single Got To Give It Up in their monster track Blurred Lines after a two-week case in LA.Robin, who performed the song, and producer Pharrell denied the claims, with their lawyer saying that the ruling set a "horrible precedent".In court, Pharrell had said that Marvin's music had played a big part of his childhood, but insisted it was not on his mind when he wrote the song. He did concede there was a likeness between the tracks, and agreed he was "channelling… that late 70s vibe".