Casey Dienel is an indie artist who records under the moniker of White Hinterland. She has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against both Justin Bieber and producer Skrillex, alleging that the singer’s hit “Sorry” borrows heavily from her 2014 track “Ring the Bell.”
Compare the two songs below and check out how Skrillex made the Riff and you decide. The riff hook in the song is the primary focus of Casey Kienel’s lawsuit against sorry. Watch this video to hear the focus of the complaint.
Here is the full video to Casey Kienel (White Hinterland) “Ring the Bell”
Here is Justin Bieber’s official music video for “Sorry”
In a post to Social Media, Casey Dienel stated, ” Creating original and unique music is my life’s passion, but it is challenging and time consuming. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into writing and producing “Ring the Bell,” and I am proud of the finished product, which Rolling Stone listed as one of its “favorite songs, albums, and videos.” Throughout my career, I have worked very hard to preserve my independence and creative control, thus it came as a shock to hear my work used and exploited without permission.
Like most artists that sample music, Bieber could have licensed my song for use in “Sorry.” But he chose not to contact me. After the release of “Sorry,” my lawyers sent Bieber a letter regarding the infringement, but Bieber’s team again chose to ignore me. I offered Bieber’s team an opportunity to have a private dialogue about the infringement, but they refused to even acknowledge my claim, despite the obviousness of the sample. Justin Bieber is the world’s biggest artist, and I’m sure that he and his team will launch a full attack against me. But, in the end, I was left with no other option. I believe I have an obligation to stand up for my music and art.”
Skrillex has responded on Twitter showing how he made the Riff with the following video.
SORRY but we didnt steal this 🙏🏻 @justinbieber @bloodpop pic.twitter.com/9897j9sfY7
— SKRILLEX (@Skrillex) May 27, 2016
Infringement lawsuits are fairly common in the music industry over key riffs or elements of a song. In a recent case, Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell lost a lawsuit over stealing aspects of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up” in their smash hit “Blurred Lines”. A Los Angeles jury awareded Gaye’s family $7.3 million according to Variety. The verdict resolved a year’s worth of litigation between Thicke and Gaye’s estate, in which the Gaye family sought $25 million in damages.
It will be interesting to see how this case evolves and usually takes several months or years to resolve if this matter lands in the courts. If this does not settle out of court, then it truly will be “to late to say Sorry”.
