Nicking bits of songs

[iwbus]

What are the rules regarding pinching bits of other peoples songs (giving credit, paying money etc). In "Thong Song" Sisqo says "not just urban, she liked her pop cos she was Livin La Vida Loca" which is shown as an "interpolation" in the credits. How do you define what is an interpolation and what just sounds similar to another song? Does this mean that if anyone else writes a song containing the phrase "Livin La Vida Loca" that they would have to give credit? A similar thing happens in Gwen's "Hollaback Girl" with the line "that's right I'm the last one standing, another one bites the dust" but I don't know if that is credited or not

[andy hughes]

You cannot copyright a phrase, so using a title of another song is no problem. Using a musical extract, or a sample, is a pretty foggy area. Older customers will recall the legal case brought against George Harrison for accused plaigarism of The Chiffons' He's So Fine in the composition of My Sweet Lord. For the record (sorry!) Harrison was convicted, and had to pay a chunk of royalties to the HSF composers. The judge had to try and work out what exactly constitutes a copywritable section of melody.

It really comes down to how much the original writers want to try and get some money out of the new people - in which case Goldfrapp and Rachel Stevens should be getting calls from Norman Greenbaum's lawyers any day now.

[iwbus]

Are Coldplay expecting a call from Kraftwerk about turning "Computer Love" into basis of X&Y's track "Talk"

And Rachel Stevens can expect another phone call from Adam Ant's clan over nicking "Antmusic" to form the tiresome "I Said Never Again"

[brachiopod]

As sampling became more prevalent, there were a succession of cases back in the late 80's / early 90's that started to set precedents as to what was legitimate sampling and what was plain ripping off. I think one of the first was when the Clash sued over use of their Guns of Brixton bass-line (I forget who it was by, but the song was Dub Be Good To Me - was it Beats International?)