Conflict Between Coldplay and Joe Satriani Might Have been resolved?

Un internaute réconcilie Coldplay et Joe Satriani
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Coldplay have been sued by guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, as the guitarist was accusing the band of ripping off his 2004 track “If I Could Fly” for their own Grammy-nominated hit “Viva La Vida”. Satriani filed a copyright infringement suit against the band in Los Angeles, accusing Coldplay of stealing “substantial original portions”. The Satch is seeking a jury trial, damages and “any and all profits attributable to the alleged copyright infringement”. According to The Rolling Stones Magazine, considering the album and the single were among the biggest sellers that year, not to mention the centerpiece of an Apple iTunes campaign, Satriani stands to make a sizable profit if the jury agrees with him. However, Satriani’s lawyers would have to prove Coldplay somehow heard “If I Could Fly”, which might be a difficult task. That being said, the hook to “Viva” is almost exactly the same as the guitar lick in “If I Could Fly”.


In accordance with Mtv US, Joe Satriani's copyright infringement lawsuit against Coldplay has been dismissed, and the two sides have reportedly reached an agreement in the dispute.


Billboard reports that an unnamed source close to Satriani confirmed that an agreement had been reached allowing the two parties to avoid a planned upcoming trial in the case, in which Satriani claimed that Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" contained "substantial, original portions" of his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly."


The details of the settlement reportedly remain sealed, but unidentified legal sources told Billboard that a financial settlement between the two sides may have been reached, and Coldplay will not have to admit any wrongdoing. At press time, spokespeople for Satriani had no comment and Coldplay reps had not returned requests for comment from MTV News.


Satriani filed suit against Coldplay and the band's label, Capitol Records, in December — months after a number of online videos pointing out the similarities of the songs began appearing — alleging that the title track to the group's most recent album incorporated major elements of an instrumental track from his 2004 album, Is There Love in Space? The members of Coldplay consistently denied the allegation.


"If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music," the band said in a statement when the suit was filed, "they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him."


While touring with the supergroup Chickenfoot this summer, Satriani declined to discuss the details of the case, telling Billboard that the "legal system is going through its paces, the protocols are all being met, and it's making its way between various law offices and the courts. I'm pretty confident that there will be an equitable solution reached at some point."


According to documents posted Tuesday on Justia.com — a site that purports to help make legal information easy to find — the infringement case was concluded on Monday with an "order upon stipulation" to dismiss, with each side paying their own court costs. The "stipulation" clause suggests that an undisclosed, sealed agreement was made between Coldplay and Satriani to settle the matter.