I’m guessing your degree in music theory didn’t include courses on copyright law. Color and instrumentation are irrelevant (as are key and tempo). The majority of the melody in the chorus is a spot-on match. Dude gave up a fortune without litigation, meaning that his attorneys, who obviously know all about this…

Chords irrelevant. Melody is what matters here.

They don't have to be edited to sound similar. On a thread yesterday, many people stated that they picked up on this immediately, myself included. I think the edit (which I admit I haven't listened to) is just for those who don't have a good enough ear to pick it up without assistance.

The rationale is that patent law pertains to items that are inherently beneficial to the public good (medicine, inventions, etc.), so the shorter time frame allows the patent holder to profit from their work for a relatively brief period of time before the invention becomes "public domain." A longer period would…

I only know of this man because when Bart was pleading with Homer not to cut their illegal cable connection, he cited Joe Franklin last and most forcefully. (I believe he also mentioned "Atlanta Braves baseball.")

"The chord progression doesn't matter — music plagiarism is about melody and lyrics."

Fair enough. Of the two singles I've heard, I'd say the other one is better. I agree he has a good voice.

you're trolling your ass off now, my friend

Psshh…drummers.

I said this elsewhere, but the fact that Smith is settling without a major fight is telling. If it was truly a big stretch he wouldn't cave so easily given how much money is at stake.

Your initial comment doesn't warrant a thoughtful response in my opinion, not just because it's wrong, but also because I can tell from your belligerent tone that I don't want to debate with you. I simply felt it was worth it to let you know that at least one person wasn't buying your argument.

I actually like the song, and his current single as well, but this settlement is the proper outcome. Wouldn't it be awesome if Petty shows up to collect the Grammy? (Actually I don't know who receives the "Record of the Year" award, the artist, producer, or writer.)

If it was that much of a stretch, I don't think Smith would be settling without a fight.

I don't think Petty really needed to be vindicated. He was always considered cool.

No, it's just that the Sam Smith song is clearly a ripoff, whereas the Strokes song falls into "similar but different" territory.

"Last Nite" isn't blatant. The Sam Smith song is.

yeah no

He thought if he slowed it down enough no one would notice.

Not in this instance. The melody is exactly the same.

Good comment. Since you've made it clear you don't necessarily hold these views, I think we're in agreement. The response to issue #1 is that the music business isn't a zero sum game, so an actor-turned-musician isn't stealing anyone's piece of the pie and, in fact, he's actually generating income for the bandmates,…