Jessie J’s “Domino” accused of infringing on another singer’s copyright
By Pankaj Ladhar of Manos • Alwine P.L.
It seems to be a rough week for British musicians.
In our last post, we told Miami readers about the British boy band One Direction and the copyright dispute it is involved in over its name. Now, another British recording artist has found herself embroiled in an entertainment lawsuit.
This time, it’s singer Jessie J. She was recently sued by an American singer who claims that Jessie J’s breakthrough single “Domino” (listen to it here) contains verbatim portions of his 2008 song “Bright Red Cords.”
The American singer, Will Loomis, even went so far as to film a video highlighting what he saw as the similarities between the two songs and posted it to YouTube. Jessie J’s legal team has since had it taken down, alleging that it infringes on Jessie J’s copyright.
Loomis has now sued Jessie J and her record label, Universal Music Group, and is seeking $150,000 in damages. Jessie J, who co-wrote “Domino” and has seen it become her biggest success to date, has not commented publicly on the suit.
We do not know who is right or wrong in this suit, but either way, we hope it shows musicians how important it is that they secure their copyrights and be very vigilant about protecting them. Certain copyright protections do attach automatically, but if you rely on that alone, you could find yourself in a bad position later on when someone infringes on your copyright.
For what it’s worth, Jessie J is hardly the only singer to find herself in this position. Avril Lavigne was accused of copying a lesser-known song and using it as the basis for her monster 2009 hit “Girlfriend,” for example.
Source: BBC, “Jessie J faces copyright claim,” June 27, 2012