Satriani vs Coldplay: What Do Lawyers Say?

Joe Satriani's suing of Coldplay has become one of the hot topics of late 2008. And it doesn't look like it's going away soon.

The latest addition to the online debate is a fine article on the Idolator website where their 'Idolawyer' (clever, yes?) muses on how the case might pan out in court. You'll have to put aside any prejudice of whose music is 'better' to appreciate this case, but the potential scenarios are interesting. Idolator's lawyer writes: "Assuming that Joe and his publisher legitimately own the copyright to If I Could Fly, assuming the song meets the minimal criteria for originality (a given), and further assuming that he has no direct evidence of infringement, the court will apply the following two-step inquiry:

1. Whether the defendant had access to the plaintiff's song prior to creation of Viva La Vida.

2. Whether the work of the alleged infringer is substantially similar to If I Could Fly."

Read the full article at Music Radar here