Coldplay pleads 'Not Guilty' in Los Angeles federal court over Joe Satriani case

Los Angeles — Coldplay has denied in federal court that it copied parts of Joe Satriani's music for its hit song, "Viva La Vida."

In a response filed in Los Angeles on Monday, attorneys for Coldplay's band members also argued that any similarities between "Viva La Vida" and Satriani's "If I Could Fly" weren't enough to warrant damages. Satriani's song "lacks originality," Coldplay's response claims, and shouldn't receive copyright protection.

Satriani sued Coldplay in December, claiming the British band used "substantial, original portions" of Satriani's "If I Could Fly," which was released in 2004. Satriani's lawyer, Howard E. King, said Coldplay's response was typical for copyright infringement cases and he reiterated that he thought the matter could have been resolved without a lawsuit.

More discussion on this at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]