The lawsuit involving Justin Bieber revived on Thursday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond states that he and Usher is likely to face the jury for copyright infringement for copying parts of the song created by Virginian songwriters. The lawsuit filed in May 2013 worth $10 million says that Bieber and Usher copied parts of the song of Devin Copeland and his songwriting partner Mareio Overton.
In the lawsuit, the 21-year-old Canadian crooner and the 36-year-old rapper was alleged to have copied the title of the song 'Somebody to Love,' as well as its lyrics, beat pattern, time signature, and chords. Copeland, an R&B singer popularly known as De Rico, and his partner Overton filed the charges two years back, but it was discharged by a judge in Norfolk last year for differences in lyrics and tone, the Daily Mail reports.
"After listening to the Copeland song and the Bieber and Usher songs as wholes, we conclude that their choruses are similar enough and also significant enough that a reasonable jury could find the songs intrinsically similar," Circuit Judge Pamela Harris wrote in a statement. The decision was made after garnering a 3-0 vote.
The defendants accuse the Canadian pop star and Usher of copying their song tone and melodies with striking resemblances. Aside from the two, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and the Universal Music Publishing Group were also mentioned in the lawsuit.
'Somebody to Love' was featured in Bieber's 'My World 2.0' album. It hit Billboard Hot 100 chart on number 15 spot and became smashed hits in countries including Germany, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand. Aside from Bieber, Usher had also recorded a remix version of the song and had also used the same in coming up with another adaptation, where he was featured as the lead vocals and Bieber as the guest artist.
While the lawsuit is intended to be heard in the lower court, De Rico and his partner Overton stated that they had reached the camp of Bieber and Usher to inform them of their violations, according to CBS News.
