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"Four Christian musicians filed a lawsuit against Katy Perry in a federal court this week, claiming her chart-topping hit \"Dark Horse\" ripped off their 2008 song \"Joyful Noise.\"\nThe complaint, obtained by Mashable from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, refers to the case as a copyright lawsuit with defendants Perry, featured artist Juicy J, Capitol Records and the song's writers and producers.\nSee also: Katy Perry Will Write Hillary Clinton a Campaign Song 'If She Needs It'\n\"Gray et al v. Perry et al\" could determine whether Perry and company broke copyright-infringement laws or it could instead be settled privately out of court.\u00A0Perry's team and Capitol Records did not respond for our request for a comment.\nThe plaintiffs \u2014 rappers Marcus Gray (a.k.a. Flame), Emanuel Lambert, LeCrae Moore and producer Chike Ojukwu \u2014 filed the complaint July 1 in St. Louis, claiming that their song has been forever smeared by the \"witchcraft, paganism, black magic and Illuminati imagery\" found in Perry's \"Dark Horse\" song and music video (watch below).\nFlame's team also did not respond for our request for a comment, but you can compare \"Dark Horse\" to religious rap song \"Joyful Noise\" for yourself right here:\n\n\"Joyful Noise\" is from Flame's Grammy-nominated album Our World: Redeemed.\n\nPerry will face this lawsuit with fellow defendants Juicy J (born Jordan Houston), Lukasz Gottwald, Sarah Theresa Hudson, Max Martin, Henry Russell Walter and Capitol Records, with judge Henry Edward Autrey presiding over the case.\nPerry, who recently launched her own record label and signed singer Ferras as its first artist, previously found herself embroiled in a plagiarism uproar last year when people drew similarities between her song \"Roar\" and Sara Bareilles' \"Brave.\"\nBONUS: 10 Copycats Who Stirred Up Treble in Music History\n\n\n10 Songs That Wouldn't Exist Without a Little Copying\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Original: Huey Lewis And The News - \"I Want A New Drug\"\nReleased: January, 1984\n\nVideo: YouTube, emimusic\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Ray Parker, Jr.  - \"Ghostbusters\" Theme\n\nReleased: May, 1984Verdict: Settled out of court\nThe case was originally settled out of court, but in 2001, Lewis broke the terms of that contract when he spoke to VH1's Behind the Music, and Parker filed suit.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, Max3506\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Original: Albert Hammond - \"The Air That I Breathe\"\nReleased: March, 1974\n\nVideo: YouTube, waltervdbus\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Radiohead \"Creep\"\n\nReleased: September, 1992Verdict: Co-writing credit\n\"Creep\" has the same chord progression as \"The Air That I Breathe\" as well as a similar melody, most noticeable in the second verse.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, parlophone\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Original: Lynyrd Skynyrd  - \"Tuesday's Gone\"\nReleased: April 1973\n\nVideo: YouTube, NoExcusesLayne\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Aerosmith - \"Full Circle\"\n\nReleased: March, 1997 Verdict: No action taken\nThe anthem-like chorus in Aerosmith's \"Full Circle\" borrows many of its characteristic from Skynyrd's \"Tuesday's Gone\" as well as  the lead guitar that plays through the verses.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, Jdenicolo333\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Original: Simon &amp; Garfunkel - \"Cecilia\"\nReleased: April, 1970\n\nVideo: YouTube, kylecrazyford\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Fun. - \"Some Nights\"\n\nReleased: February, 2012Verdict: No action taken\nThe afrobeat that lays the base under both of these tunes is nothing out of the ordinary, but the stacked vocal melodies that happen over them sounds far too familiar for this to be a coincidence.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, Fueled By Ramen\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Original: Coldplay - \"The Scientist\"\nReleased: August, 2002\n\nVideo: YouTube, Coldplay Official\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Taylor Swift - \"Haunted\"\n\nReleased: October, 2010Verdict: No action taken\nDespite Swift's \"Haunted\" being much faster and more powerful, the orchestral intro and chorus mimics the simple piano line in \"The Scientist\".\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, ReadTheHits\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. Original: Coldplay - \"Clocks\"\nReleased: August, 2002\n\nVideo: YouTube, Coldplay Official\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: David Guetta - \"When Love Takes Over\"\n\nReleased: April, 2009Verdict: No action taken\nThe piano lines aren't exactly the same, but their similarities are impossible to miss, especially since both tunes star off with only keys.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, davidguetta\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Original: Joe Satriani - \"If I Could Fly\"\nReleased: \tApril, 2004\n\nVideo: YouTube, Govanator12\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Coldplay - \"Viva La Vida\"\n\nReleased: May 2008Verdict: Dismissed\nSatriani claims that his lead guitar line was used as the vocal melody in Coldplay's \"Viva La Vida\". Once pointed out, it's hard not to hear the Coldplay song over Satriani's.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, parlophone\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Original: The Beatles - \"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da\"\nReleased:July, 1968\n\nVideo: YouTube, ChocoChoco98\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: The Offspring - \"Why Don't You Get A Job?\"\n\nReleased: March, 1999Verdict: No action taken\nAn obvious \"homage.\"\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, OffspringVEVO\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. Original: Petula Clark - \"Downtown\"\nReleased: November, 1964\n\nVideo: YouTube, takutaq\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Green Day - \"Waiting\"\n\nReleased:  October, 2001Verdict: No action taken\nCopycat or homage?The intro and verse to \"Waiting\" has the exact same melody as the chorus from \"Downtown.\" Billy Joe even starts the verse with the word, \"Downtown\".\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, greenday\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10. Original: Spin Doctors - \"Two Princess\"\nReleased: January, 1993\n\nVideo: YouTube, SpinDoctorsVEVO\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCopycat: Third Eye Blind - \"Semi-Charmed Life\"\n\nReleased: June, 1997Verdict: Verdict: No action taken, although the Spin Doctors did win a lawsuit against the Miller Beer Company for the same song. \nIt's hard to not notice the similarities in the chord progression and strumming pattern in the intros and verses of these two songs, never mind the nearly identical snare fills that start out both tracks.\n\n\nVideo: YouTube, wamloquamlo\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/07/03/katy-perry-sued-dark-horse-christian-rappers-flame-lawsuit/>