# List of songs subject to plagiarism disputes

The following is a list of songs that have been the subject of plagiarism disputes. In several of the disputes the artists have stated that the copying of melody or chord progression was unconscious. In some cases the song was sampled or covered. Some cases are still awaiting litigation.

## Songs subject to plagiarism disputes

| Year | Original work | Original artist | Second song | Second artist | Result |
| 1965 | "Ask Any Girl" | The Supremes | "1-2-3" (1965) | Len Barry | 15% of the song's writing and publishing royalties |
| 1966 | "It's a Man's World (But What Would He Do Without a Woman)" | Betty Jean Newsome | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (1966) | James Brown | Copyright of the song and a third of the royalties |
| 1966 | "Sweet Little Sixteen" | Chuck Berry | "Surfin' U.S.A." (1963) | The Beach Boys | Songwriting credit, copyright having already been assigned to Berry via Arc Music |
| 1967 | "In the Mood" | Glenn Miller | "All You Need Is Love" (1967) | The Beatles | Royalties |
| 1968 | "All Day and All of the Night" (1964) | The Kinks | "Hello, I Love You" (1968) | The Doors | Settled |
| 1968 | "Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, brah" catch cry | Jimmy Scott | "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1968) | The Beatles | Settled out of court in 1969, when Scott accepted Paul McCartney's payment of his legal expenses to keep him out of jail |
| 1969 | "You Can't Catch Me" (1956) | Chuck Berry | "Come Together" (1969) | The Beatles | Settled out of court in 1973, with John Lennon agreeing to compensate by recording three of the publisher's songs for his next album |
| 1971 | "He's So Fine" (1963) | Ronnie Mack | "My Sweet Lord" (1970) | George Harrison | $1,599,987 to Bright Tunes; subsequently reduced to $587,000 |
| 1971 | "Feuilles Mortes" (1949) | Joseph Kozma | "La Maritza" | Sylvie Vartan | The totality of the song royalties were confiscated and went to Joseph Kozma heirs |
| 1972 | "Bring It on Home" (1963) | Sonny Boy Williamson II | "Bring It on Home" (1969) | Led Zeppelin | Songwriting credit |
| 1973 | "Speedy Gonzales" (1962) | Pat Boone | "Crocodile Rock" (1972) | Elton John | Settled |
| 1976 | "Lonely Night" (1974) | Status Quo | "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (1976) | The Angels | Settled out of court for royalties |
| 1978 | Various Lennon–McCartney compositions (1963–1970) | The Beatles | "Cheese and Onions", "Piggy in the Middle" and other songs on The Rutles (1978) | The Rutles | Royalties and songwriting credits |
| 1979 | "Taj Mahal" (1972) | Jorge Ben Jor | "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978) | Rod Stewart | Settled out of court, donated profits to UNICEF |
| 1979 | "Good Times" (1979) | Chic | "Rapper's Delight" (1979) | The Sugarhill Gang | Undisclosed settlement and songwriting credits |
| 1970s | "Killing Floor" (1964) | Howlin' Wolf | "The Lemon Song" (1969) | Led Zeppelin | Songwriting credit |
| 1970s | "Crescent City Blues" (1953) | Gordon Jenkins | "Folsom Prison Blues" (1955) | Johnny Cash | $75,000 |
| 1983 | Unnamed | Linden Hudson | "Thug" (1983) | ZZ Top | Undisclosed amount |
| 1984 | "I Want a New Drug" (1983) | Huey Lewis and the News | "Ghostbusters" (1984) | Ray Parker Jr. | Settled non-disclosure agreement |
| 1985 | "Pour toi" (1957) | Louis "Loulou" Gasté | "Feelings" (1976) | Morris Albert | $500,000 |
| 1985 | "You Need Love" (1963) | Muddy Waters | "Whole Lotta Love" (1969) | Led Zeppelin | Settled out of court for undisclosed amount |
| 1985 | "Sugar Don't Bite" (1984) | Sam Harris | "Papa Don't Preach" (1986) | Madonna | Undisclosed amount |
| 1986 | Unnamed | Los Lobos | "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints" (1986) | Paul Simon | Undisclosed |
| 1988 | "Just Another Night" | Patrick Alley | "Just Another Night" (1985) | Mick Jagger | Six-person jury decided in Jagger's favor in April 1988 |
| 1988 | "Run Through the Jungle" (1970) | Creedence Clearwater Revival | "The Old Man Down the Road" (1984) | John Fogerty | Six-person jury decided in Fogerty's favor in November 1988 |
| 1989 | "You Showed Me" (1968) | The Turtles | "Transmitting Live from Mars" (1989) | De La Soul | $1.7 million |
| 1990 | "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" | Anne Bredon | "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (1969) | Led Zeppelin | Songwriting credit |
| 1990 | "Going to a Go-Go" | Smokey Robinson and the Miracles | "Every Little Thing" (1990) | Jeff Lynne | Songwriting credit |
| 1990 | "I'm a Roadrunner" (1966) | Junior Walker and the All-Stars | "Roll with It" (1988) | Steve Winwood | Songwriting credit |
| 1991 | "Leaving on a Jet Plane" (1966) | John Denver | "Run 2" (1989) | New Order | Songwriting credit |
| 1991 | "Best of My Love" (1977) | Maurice White | "Emotions" (1991) | Mariah Carey | Undisclosed amount |
| 1991 | "Eighties" (1985) | Killing Joke | "Come as You Are" (1991) | Nirvana | No lawsuit |
| 1992 | "I Want to Thank You" | Kevin McCord | "Make It Happen" (1992) | Mariah Carey | $500,000 |
| 1992 | "Right Before My Eyes" | Sharon Taber and Ron Gonzalez | "Can't Let Go" (1991) | Mariah Carey | Settled for $1 million |
| 1993 | "(I'd Do) Anything for You" (1989) | Jon Dunmore Sinclair | "I'd Do Anything for Love" (1993) | Meat Loaf | Undisclosed settlement |
| 1993 | "Under Pressure" (1981) | Queen and David Bowie | "Ice Ice Baby" (1990) | Vanilla Ice | Undisclosed amount and songwriting credit |
| 1993 | "Al Yawm Ulliqa Alal Khashaba" (1962) | Fairuz | "Erotica" (1992) | Madonna | $2.5 million |
| 1993 | "The Air That I Breathe" (1972) | Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood | "Creep" (1992) | Radiohead | Songwriting credits and royalties |
| 1994 | "How Sweet to Be an Idiot" (1973) | Neil Innes | "Whatever" (1994) | Oasis | Songwriting credit |
| 1994 | "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" (1964) | The Isley Brothers | "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" (1991) | Michael Bolton | Under the Ninth Circuit ruling, the Isleys were to be paid $4.2 million |
| 1994 | "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)" (1971) | The New Seekers | "Shakermaker" (1994) | Oasis | $500,000 |
| 1996 | "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (1965) | Stevie Wonder | "Step Out" | Oasis | Songwriting credit |
| 1996 | "Within You Without You" (1967) | The Beatles | "Indus" | Dead Can Dance | Songwriting credit |
| 1996 | "Hero" (1990) | Christopher Selletti | "Hero" (1993) | Mariah Carey | Case dismissed; Selletti ordered to pay fines. |
| 1996 | "Be Your Own Hero" (1991) | Rhonda Dimmie | "Hero" (1993) | Mariah Carey | Case dismissed |
| 1997 | "Every Breath You Take" (1983) | The Police | "I'll Be Missing You" (1997) | P Diddy | 100% of the publishing royalties |
| 1997 | "Constant Craving" (1992) | k.d. lang | "Anybody Seen My Baby?" (1997) | The Rolling Stones | Songwriting credit |
| 1998 | Unnamed tracks | New Ark | 13 tracks on the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) | Lauryn Hill | Undisclosed settlement |
| 1998 | "I'm Eighteen" (1970) | Alice Cooper | "Dreamin'" (1998) | Kiss | Undisclosed settlement |
| 1998 | "Feel So High" (1991) | Des'Ree | "Got 'til It's Gone" (1997) | Janet Jackson | Settled out of court with an estimated amount of $2.6 million |
| 1999 | "The Last Time" (1965) | The Rolling Stones | "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (1997) | The Verve | Songwriting credits and 100% of royalties; returned to the Verve in 2019 |
| 1999 | "Metal on Metal" (1977) | Kraftwerk | "Nur Mir" (1997) | Sabrina Setlur | Ruled in favor of Kraftwerk |
| 2000 | "Love in Vain" (1939) | Robert Johnson | "Love in Vain" (1969) | The Rolling Stones | Settled |
| 2000 | "Stop Breakin' Down Blues" (1937) | Robert Johnson | "Stop Breakin' Down" (1972) | The Rolling Stones | Settled |
| 2002 | "Pulsion" (1979) | Jacques Loussier | "Kill You" (2000) | Eminem | Settled |
| 2003 | "Father and Son" (1970) | Cat Stevens | "Fight Test" (2003) | The Flaming Lips | 75% of the song royalties. |
| 2003 | "My Life Is in Your Hands" (1994) | Kathy Troccoli | "My Life Is in Your Hands" (2001) | Jamie Rivera | Alternating lyrics, misspelled songwriting credits, and uncrediting of the song's publishers. |
| 2006 | "Mbube" (1920) | Solomon Linda | "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1961) | Disney's usage of the Tokens' song on the movie The Lion King | Back royalties and songwriting credits |
| 2007 | "If We Could Start All Over" (1993) | Eddy and Danny van Passel | "You Are Not Alone" (1995) | Michael Jackson | Condemnation for plagiarism of its solo writer R. Kelly |
| 2007 | "Acidjazzed Evening" (2001) | Janne "Tempest" Suni | "Do It" (2007) | Nelly Furtado (prod. Timbaland) | Settled out of court for an undisclosed sum |
| 2007 | "Around the World" (1997) | Daft Punk | "I Got It from My Mama Remix" (2007) | will.i.am | Denial of sample clearance, leading to the cancellation of the remix's official release |
| 2008 | "Taj Mahal" (1969) | Jorge Ben Jor | "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978) | Rod Stewart | Settled |
| 2008 | "Play with Fire" (1965) | The Rolling Stones | "Playing with Fire" (2008) | Lil Wayne | Settled |
| 2008 | "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (1979) | The Rubinoos | "Girlfriend" (2007) | Avril Lavigne | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2008 | "Jealous Again" (1990) | The Black Crowes | "Work Hard, Play Harder" (2008) | Gretchen Wilson | Songwriting credit |
| 2009 | "I Was Made for Lovin' You" (1979) | Kiss | "Outlaw Pete" (2009) | Bruce Springsteen | Kiss did not pursue legal action over respect for Springsteen. |
| 2009 | "Mancry" (2009) | Adam Freeland | "Party All the Time" (2009) | The Black Eyed Peas | Settled |
| 2009 | "If I Could Fly" (2004) | Joe Satriani | "Viva la Vida" (2008) | Coldplay | Case dismissed |
| 2009 | "Wherever You Are" and "A Strangely Isolated Place" | Ulrich Schnauss | "Riad N' the Bedouins" (2008) | Guns N' Roses | Undisclosed |
| 2010 | "I'm Not Alone" (2009) | Calvin Harris | "Yeah 3x" (2010) | Chris Brown | Songwriting credit |
| 2010 | "Kookaburra" (1932) | Marion Sinclair | "Down Under" (1980) | Men at Work | 5% of royalties backdated to 2002 |
| 2011 | "I Need a Freak" (1983) | DJ Lynn Tolliver | "My Humps" (2005) | The Black Eyed Peas | $1.2 million and 75% songwriting credits |
| 2011 | "Where Are You Now" (2004) | Anthony Stokes | "Maxine's Interlude" (2006) | John Legend | Settled for an undisclosed amount |
| 2012 | "Dazed and Confused" (1967) | Jake Holmes | "Dazed and Confused" (1969) | Led Zeppelin | Undisclosed settlement out of court |
| 2012 | "Baby I'm Yours" (2010) | Breakbot | "Treasure" (2012) | Bruno Mars | Songwriting credits |
| 2013 | "Got to Give It Up" (1977) | Marvin Gaye | "Blurred Lines" (2013) | Robin Thicke | $5.3 million and songwriting credits |
| 2014 | "Playaz Club" (1994) | Rappin' 4-Tay | "Who Do You Love" (2014) | Drake | $100,000 |
| 2015 | "I Won't Back Down" (1989) | Tom Petty | "Stay With Me" (2014) | Sam Smith | 12.5% songwriting credit |
| 2015 | "Mulheres" (1996) | Toninho Geraes | "Million Years Ago" (2015) | Adele | A Brazilian court ruled that Adele had to cease publication of "Million Years Ago". |
| 2015 | "Takin' Me to Paradise" (1983) | Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino | "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (1994) | Prince | Songwriting credits and compensation for moral rights |
| 2015 | The Machine film score (2013) | Tom Raybould | "The Hills" | The Weeknd | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2015 | "Oops Up Side Your Head" (1979) | The Gap Band | "Uptown Funk" (2014) | Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars | 17% royalties and songwriting credit |
| 2016 | "Young Girls" (1983) | Collage | "Uptown Funk" (2014) | Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2016 | "Taurus" (1968) | Spirit | "Stairway to Heaven" (1971) | Led Zeppelin | Appeals court found that "Stairway to Heaven" was not plagiarized |
| 2016 | "Les chansons d'artistes" (2001) | Les années Boum | "Si seulement je pouvais lui manquer" (2004) | Calogero | €80,000 |
| 2016 | "Don't You Want to Stay" | Bill Withers | "I Do This" | Kendrick Lamar | Litigated, Not settled |
| 2016 | "Ring the Bell" (2014) | Casey Dienel | "Sorry" (2015) | Justin Bieber | Ruled in favor of Bieber |
| 2017 | "Amazing" (2011) | Matt Cardle | "Photograph" (2015) | Ed Sheeran | Privately settled in April 2017 |
| 2017 | "Gyöngyhajú lány" (1969) | Gábor Presser | "New Slaves" (2013) | Kanye West | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2017 | "More Bounce to the Ounce" (1980) | Zapp | "Uptown Funk" (2014) | Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2017 | "Funk You Up" (1979) | The Sequence | "Uptown Funk" (2014) | Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars | Not settled |
| 2017 | "Playas Gon' Play" (2001) | 3LW | "Shake It Off" (2014) | Taylor Swift | Case dismissed |
| 2017 | "No Scrubs" (1999) | TLC | "Shape of You" (2017) | Ed Sheeran | Negotiations to clear an interpolation started before Shape of You was released but not finalized until afterwards. Songwriting credits & royalties |
| 2018 | "Oh Why" (2015) | Sami Switch | Ruled in favor of Ed Sheeran | Ed Sheeran | |
| 2018 | "Hooyo" (2009) | Yasmin Mohamed | "Starboy" (2016) | The Weeknd | Litigated; not settled |
| 2018 | "Seven Nation Army" (2003) | The White Stripes | "Toy" (2018) | Netta Barzilai | Songwriting credits and royalties |
| 2018 | "When I Found You" (2015) | Jasmine Rae | "The Rest of Our Life" (2017) | Tim McGraw and Faith Hill | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2018 | "I Don't Give a Fuck" | Tulisa | "Scream & Shout" (2012) | will.i.am and Britney Spears | Songwriting credits and 10% royalties |
| 2018 | "Let's Get It On" (1973) | Marvin Gaye | "Thinking Out Loud" (2014) | Ed Sheeran | Ruled in favor of Sheeran. |
| 2018 | "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" (2008) | The Script | "Say You Won't Let Go" (2016) | James Arthur | Settled, with Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan, the writers of "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", each receiving a co-writing credit for "Say You Won't Let Go". |
| 2019 | "Work This Pussy" (1989) | Junior Vasquez | "WTP" (2018) | Teyana Taylor | Settled between Vasquez and Kanye West who wrote the song |
| 2019 | "Joyful Noise" (2008) | Flame | "Dark Horse" (2013) | Katy Perry | $2.78 million and songwriting credits. However, in March 2020, a judge reversed the jury's $2.78 million award and decision. (See Gray v. Perry.) |
| 2019 | "Carry On" (1982) | Bobby Caldwell | "Carry On" (2019) | Lil Nas X | Litigated; not settled |
| 2019 | "Broad Day" (2019) | Brandon Lee | "Rodeo" (2019) | Cardi B and Lil Nas X | Litigated, not settled |
| 2019 | "Creep" (1992) | Radiohead | "Get Free" (2017) | Lana Del Rey | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2019 | "Holly Wood Died" (2006) | Yellowcard | "Lucid Dreams" (2018) | Juice Wrld | Yellowcard dropped its lawsuit against Juice Wrld after his death. However, the band could still refile the lawsuit if it changed its mind. |
| 2020 | "Sunrise" (2018) | Yeasayer | "Pray for Me" (2018) | The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar | Litigated; Not settled |
| 2020 | "Naked" (1996) | Louise Redknapp | "Peppa's Party Time" (2019) | Peppa Pig | Songwriting credits and royalties |
| 2020 | "Baby Can I Hold You" (1988) | Tracy Chapman | "Sorry" (2018) | Nicki Minaj | $450,000 |
| 2020 | "Ice Drop" (2016) | DJ Lag | "Culture" (2020) | will.i.am | Undisclosed settlement |
| 2021 | "Made In America" (2016) | Kidd Wes | "This Is America" (2018) | Childish Gambino | Not settled |
| 2021 | "Goin' Home" (1998) | Toto | "Anyone" (2021) | Justin Bieber | Not settled |
| 2021 | "Misery Business" (2007) | Paramore | "Good 4 U" (2021) | Olivia Rodrigo | Songwriting credits |
| 2021 | "Pump It Up" (1978) | Elvis Costello | "Brutal" (2021) | Olivia Rodrigo | Costello never took any action against Rodrigo. |
| 2022 | "Live Your Life" (2017) | Artikal Sound System | "Levitating" (2020) | Dua Lipa | Not settled |
| 2022 | "Wiggle and Giggle All Night" (1979) | Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band | "Levitating" (2020) | Dua Lipa | Not settled |
| 2022 | "Dancing with Strangers" (2017) | Jordan Vincent | "Dancing with a Stranger" (2019) | Sam Smith and Normani | Case dismissed |
| 2022 | "Get Ur Freak On" (2001) | Missy Elliott | "Safaera" (2020) | Bad Bunny, Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow | 25% royalties |
| 2022 | "Thank You" (2000) | Dido | "Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu" (2022) | Tito Silva Music | Sample used without permission, which led Silva to remove the song from streaming services after it went viral to avoid legal issues |
| 2022 | "Stan" (2000) | Eminem | "Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu" (2022) | Tito Silva Music | Sample used without permission, which led Silva to remove the song from streaming services after it went viral to avoid legal issues |
| 2022 | "El Hueso de Mi Perra" (2012) | Little Key and Son de AK | "Gatita" (2022) | Bellakath | Not settled |
| 2024 | "Trouble Is a Friend" (2008) | Lenka | "Selos" (2023) | Shaira | Songwriting credit |
| 2024 | "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" (1994) | Scatman John | "Bailar Contigo" (2022) | Black Eyed Peas and Daddy Yankee | Not settled |
| 2024 | "I Feel Love" (1977) | Donna Summer | "Good (Don't Die)" (2024) | ¥$ | Donna Summer's estate and Kanye West settled with West being prohibited from using "Good (Don't Die)". |
| 2024 | "When I Was Your Man" (2012) | Bruno Mars | "Flowers" (2023) | Miley Cyrus | Not settled |