Another day, another lawsuit. This time Justin Timberlake and Will.I.Am are under fire over their 2006, FutureSex/LoveSounds collab, “Damn Girl.”
In the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, PK Music Performance, a music publisher, is saying that “Damn Girl” is a rip-off of a song written by A Taste of Honey. PK Music owns the rights to “A New Day is Here at Last,” the song they are claiming JT and Will.I.Am stole.
“A New Day (Is Here at Last)” was performed by JC Davis in 1969, was written by the late Perry Kibble of A Taste of Honey. Kibble and A Taste of Honey are also responsible for the 70’s hit “Boogie Oogie Oogie.” Kibble died in 1999, at age 49, and the copyright ownership was assigned to PK Music.
The lawsuit says, “The portions of ‘A New Day (Is Here at Last)’ copied in ‘Damn Girl’ are not only quantitatively substantial, but qualitatively important to ‘A New Day Is Here At Last,’ including the introduction, rhythm, harmony, melody, and ‘hook’ all of which are copyrightable elements individually and in combination.”
Listen to both songs and determine if they’re similar. I’d have to say, I surely hope JT has his paperwork in order because the beat sequence is definitely the same.
