Los Angeles Intellectual Property Trademark Attorney Blog
David Guetta, the Black Eyed Peas, individual members of the band, their publishers and record companies were sued for copyright infringement, claiming that the band’s “I Gotta Feeling” hit-song was based on Bryan Pringle’s “Take a Dive” song.
Pringle alleges that he wrote “Take a Dive” in 1998, which song and different versions thereof were sent to Interscope Records, EMI and UMG Recordings. The complaint contends that “[t]he song ‘I Gotta Feeling’ is substantially similar to Plaintiff’s song ‘Take a Dive.’ Actually it is strikingly similar, and the main instrumental ‘hook line’ sequences in both songs – the distinct, memorable parts of both songs to the ear – are identical…There can be no reasonable, alternative explanation for these similarities other than the fact that the Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta and/or Frederick Riesterer directly copied Plaintiff’s song.”
Listen to the two songs and compare:
The case is Bryan Pringle v. William Adams, Jr. et al., SACV10-1656 JST (C.D. Cal. 2010).