Legendary guitarist Joe Satriani is suing the band Coldplay for what he claims is a blatant ripoff of his 2004 song “If I Could Fly.” Satriani claims that “substantial original portions” of his song were used for Coldplay’s hit “Viva La Vida” and is seeking compensation plus damages. The only problem is that no one has yet been able to serve the members of Coldplay with the legal papers for the suit. That may all change at this year’s Grammys if Satriani’s lawyer plans it right. Attorney Howard King says that the band has been avoiding his attempts to serve the paperwork, but that he’s going to do it at the Grammys and tape it for posterity:
Martin and his bandmates may be looking over their shoulders this Grammy weekend. The reason is that a lawyer representing musician Joe Satriani is sending teams of process servers all over town to hand them a plagiarism lawsuit…
But that hasn’t stopped Satriani or his attorney Howard King of King Paterno et al. The firm claims that Coldplay has dodged being served, and that the Grammys are the easiest forum at which to strike while the iron is hot.
King says, “We have warned their British lawyers that we have hired a fleet of process servers lined up to dog the band everywhere they go this weekend in the hopes of serving them.”
King even promises to have camera crews roaming around with the process servers to get the whole thing on tape.
What’s Coldplay’s way out of this mess? Maybe the easiest thing would be to just accept service and let a court decide what happened with “Viva La Vida.”
[From Fox News]
My knowledge of the process of serving legal papers to someone is almost entirely based on Pineapple Express, so of course I have high expectations for this. It would be even better if Chris Martin got served when standing next to his sneering “f’ck the haters” wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, although that’s not likely despite rumors to the contrary. Paltrow repeated in her Elle interview that she’ll never walk a red carpet with her husband. She quipped “It doesn’t behoove us to be a public couple. He certainly doesn’t want to be that. We’ve never ever walked down a red carpet together, we never will. If people think that that means we’re not together, then – ha ha ha! – so be it.”
Maybe if Paltrow would, I don’t know, be photographed out just once with her husband and the kids, people wouldn’t be so skeptical. As it is, the last time they were photographed “together” was at Jay-Z and Beyonce’s wedding on 4/4/08, and even then they both ducked down in their car and covered their faces.
I think it is a blatant rip off. Coldplay probably doesn’t write their own songs anyway? They seem very formulaic and robotic, and catchy too.
I like Coldplay very much but when listening, I hear some Pink Floyd & some Electric Light Orchestra so I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
How classy.
It must be so difficult to track them down… if only they were doing some sort of a tour, where all of their tour-dates were written somewhere and they appear in public… one can but dream eh?
Why did my comment get deleted? Because it was not favorable to Coldplay? There was no hatred or bigotry, not even excessive negativity. I expressed my opinion that I agree with Satriana and think he deserves to win, and that I think Coldplay has become quite fomulaic and bland anyway.
I’m disappointed and disheartened that I can’t share my pretty vanilla opinion. Can someone explain this to me?
Oh, I am officially an idiot.
🙂 😛
I’ll stop commenting immediately. It’s clearly hazardous for everyone.
Isn’t the first comment yours, Dani??
Dani sometimes the comments get sucked into the spam filter. I will look for it.
It’s a coincidence .. nothing more. Joe Satriani must feel he needs the publicity .. I haven’t heard his name since the early 90’s. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
I watched the grammys and did not see this happen or hear of them being served. Did I miss it? Have not heard the comparisons of the two songs but I am hearing from others that it is quite similar.