• Registered: 2008-02-14
  • Posts: 2,578

Topic: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

BERLIN (Reuters) – A German court has ordered former Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore to pay damages after ruling the guitar solo in his 1990 hit "Still Got the Blues" had been plagiarized from a German song written in 1974.

A court in the southern city of Munich said on Wednesday the solo in Moore's song was too similar to the one in "Nordrach" by the band Jud's Gallery not to have been copied -- even though the German song was not available on record at the time.

In a statement, the court ordered Moore, 56, from Northern Ireland, and his record label to pay damages to band leader Juergen Winter who brought the case. The amount has yet to be fixed.

Moore had denied knowing the song, which the court said could only have been heard live or on radio at the time.

The court said it had no evidence the solo had been lifted deliberately, but that this was immaterial in copyright infringement.

"Still Got the Blues" was the title track on Moore's album of the same name, one of the guitarist's most successful records. The single reached 31 in the British singles charts in May 1990.

Moore played with Thin Lizzy for a few months in 1974 and again in 1978-79 before leaving the Irish band to start a solo career.

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk

2 Reply by mikeb (edited by mikeb 2008-12-04 10:47:16)

  • mikeb
  • mikeb
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2006-06-24
  • Posts: 1,100

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Dangerous precedent here based on hearing something maybe only once in a live setting etc??? The tune was not on record until sometime in 2000, well after 1990 (Jud's Gallery tune that is) when SGTB was released, even though it was composed back in 1974 and subsequently performed live and perhaps on live radio...

Guess composers must be very very careful about anything you may have heard about 15 years ago (at most once coz it ain't yet been recorded) somewhere somehow that might possibly show up in your work.

The solo is very similar though, check it out here:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe … mID=110167

You Can Do Anything You Want To Do

mikeb's Website

  • From: Gnashville, TN
  • Registered: 2007-02-14
  • Posts: 198

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

That entire chord progression is stolen from another song anyway....can't think of the name offhand but I've heard before. It's a pretty natural descending progression.

I think it'd be funny if Peter Frampton sued the guitarist from Jud's and got the money right back for "talk box infringment".

"why isn't the number "11" pronounced "onety one"???....S. Wright.

Guitgator's Website

  • From: Benicia, Ca.
  • Registered: 2006-05-08
  • Posts: 5,828

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Guitgator wrote:

That entire chord progression is stolen from another song anyway....can't think of the name offhand but I've heard before. It's a pretty natural descending progression.

I think it'd be funny if Peter Frampton sued the guitarist from Jud's and got the money right back for "talk box infringment".

Or Joe Walsh.                     J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint
  • From: Amsterdam
  • Registered: 2007-10-06
  • Posts: 5,249

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

More plagiarism?

Guitarist Satriani sues Coldplay

Grammy nominees Coldplay have been sued by rock guitarist Joe Satriani, who claims the band's song Viva La Vida uses one of his riffs.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles on Thursday, he said the song used "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental If I Could Fly.

Satriani, 52, wants a jury trial and is seeking damages and "any and all profits" for the alleged plagiarism.

Coldplay are shortlisted for seven Grammys, including song of the year.

Viva La Vida is credited to the band's four members - singer Chris Martin, bass player Guy Berryman, guitarist Johnny Buckland and drummer Will Champion.

The song's title was inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

It appeared on the album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - which was released in June and went to number one in 36 countries - and was also one of their hit singles.

Satriani's track appears on his album Is There Love in Space?
Story from BBC NEWS:

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith
  • From: Benicia, Ca.
  • Registered: 2006-05-08
  • Posts: 5,828

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Oh man, somebody's gonna give guitar players named Joe a black eye, wink. Go flippin' surf with an alien.

                                                                                                        Think Green,

                                                                                                        J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint
  • Registered: 2008-02-14
  • Posts: 2,578

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Amsterhammer wrote:

More plagiarism?

Guitarist Satriani sues Coldplay

Grammy nominees Coldplay have been sued by rock guitarist Joe Satriani, who claims the band's song Viva La Vida uses one of his riffs.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles on Thursday, he said the song used "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental If I Could Fly.

Satriani, 52, wants a jury trial and is seeking damages and "any and all profits" for the alleged plagiarism.

Coldplay are shortlisted for seven Grammys, including song of the year.

Viva La Vida is credited to the band's four members - singer Chris Martin, bass player Guy Berryman, guitarist Johnny Buckland and drummer Will Champion.

The song's title was inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

It appeared on the album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - which was released in June and went to number one in 36 countries - and was also one of their hit singles.

Satriani's track appears on his album Is There Love in Space?
Story from BBC NEWS:

Interesting case there.  Hope Coldplay lose this one, I hate their music!

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk

8 Reply by graeme312 (edited by graeme312 2008-12-06 12:11:34)

  • From: Aberdeen Scotland
  • Registered: 2008-08-12
  • Posts: 52

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

The chord progression was of course the same as "Parisian walkways", even down to the Bm7b5.

I like moore but this put me off him a bit

Graeme


P.S. Greenose.............. I think Satriani won his case and coldplay have to cough up
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofFw9DKu_I

Blues is the spice of life, Live it, Love it, Feel it, Play it.

graeme312's Website

  • Registered: 2006-12-28
  • Posts: 3,742

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Greenose wrote:
Amsterhammer wrote:

More plagiarism?

Guitarist Satriani sues Coldplay

Grammy nominees Coldplay have been sued by rock guitarist Joe Satriani, who claims the band's song Viva La Vida uses one of his riffs.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles on Thursday, he said the song used "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental If I Could Fly.

Satriani, 52, wants a jury trial and is seeking damages and "any and all profits" for the alleged plagiarism.

Coldplay are shortlisted for seven Grammys, including song of the year.

Viva La Vida is credited to the band's four members - singer Chris Martin, bass player Guy Berryman, guitarist Johnny Buckland and drummer Will Champion.

The song's title was inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

It appeared on the album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - which was released in June and went to number one in 36 countries - and was also one of their hit singles.

Satriani's track appears on his album Is There Love in Space?
Story from BBC NEWS:

Interesting case there.  Hope Coldplay lose this one, I hate their music!

I dont care for cold play either, so I'll back you up.....I saw them sing on the AMAs, and I'm looking around my front room to scream..WHAT??...what am I missing...maybe my daughters right, quit living in the past...they blow!

Me

  • mikeb
  • mikeb
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2006-06-24
  • Posts: 1,100

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

By the way, someone dug up the 1974 radio broadcast version of "Nordrach" and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk0VEp03fzU

Now I don't know about you folks, but seems to me Mr Winter has somewhat tweaked that version to make what he plays these days (the 2007 video) sound exactly like SGTB!!! Well as exactly as is possible with his guitar talents that is.....

You Can Do Anything You Want To Do

mikeb's Website

  • From: The East Coast of Nowhere, UK
  • Registered: 2008-02-11
  • Posts: 2,284

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Greenose wrote:

Hope Coldplay lose this one, I hate their music!

Ditto. big_smile Glad I'm not the only one. Whenever they're on the radio I make cat whining noises; ie I join in with Chris Martin - really winds up Mrs W. wink They make watching paint drying exciting. Dull, dull, dull.

Phil

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis

“The guy who has helped the blues industry the most is Joe Bonamassa and I would say he is more rock than some rock stuff, so to me blues is whatever you want it to be!”
Simon McBride in my interview with him in Blues Matters! Issue #56
  • Registered: 2008-02-14
  • Posts: 2,578

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Wooders wrote:
Greenose wrote:

Hope Coldplay lose this one, I hate their music!

Ditto. big_smile Glad I'm not the only one. Whenever they're on the radio I make cat whining noises; ie I join in with Chris Martin - really winds up Mrs W. wink They make watching paint drying exciting. Dull, dull, dull.

Phil

I like to think of it as elevator music. I honestly think people like it as they do not listen to much but mainstream radio, and never realise how much more exciting music can be (driving blues rock for example).

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
  • Registered: 2018-07-25
  • Posts: 1

Re: Gary Moore has lost plagiarism case

Oddly, I found this thread because I searched after listening to the GM song "Where Are You Now" on his Live at Montreux 2010 album. I thought it reminded me a lot of Pink Floyd's "Coming Back To Life". Here's hoping these similarities were accidental. Or who knows, maybe he and David Gilmour were chums? Perhaps he had permission?