Music Fans May Help Settle the Score in Satriani vs Coldplay Infringement Suit

A recently filed music copyright suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California - Satriani v. Martin - has revealed a new and unexpected application for the Web, namely, its potential as a forum for infringement analysis by amateur musicologists.

Long before any party to this litigation will be required to submit expert reports or summary judgement briefs, YouTube postings have offered remarkably insightful analyses of the strengths and weaknesses of the parties' respective cases. Ultimately, as with any copyright infringement case where there is no direct proof of copying, this action will turn on whether Coldplay is deemed to have had 'access' to Satriani's song and whether the two works are 'substantially similar'.

Read the rest of the exclusive new article courtesy of the Law Journal Newsletter here (pdf - adobe acrobat required.)