Music plagiarism is a big deal. It can ruin reputations and end careers. No one has learned the potential damages of such charges better over the last few months than Coldplay — the likes of Joe Satriani, Cat Stevens, a random singer-songwriter, an animator, and some relatively unknown indie band have all accused the group of ripping them off in one way or another. And now there’s another person throwing their hat in the “sue the pants off Coldplay” club.
As TMZ reports (via Rolling Stone), a man named Sammie Lee Smith has recorded 4,000 songs on some 100 tapes since 1976. Of those songs, he claims that “Yellow”, “Clocks”, and “Trouble” were ripped off from his plentiful back catalog. No one seems sure how the band came into contact with Smith, but the lawsuit demands that the band cease playing these songs and that Mr. Smith receives an undisclosed but undoubtedly exuberant amount of money. So, there.
We’ll keep you updated on the outcome of the case and if the hordes continue to descend upon the band.
