Did Demi Lovato pluck her song “Stars” from another artist’s catalog? That’s the claim made in a new copyright lawsuit filed against the former “Sonny With a Chance” star.
In the suit, indie group Sleigh Bells accuse Lovato of lifting from their 2010 song “Infinity Guitars” for “Stars.”
The suit cites a “combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as three quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps,” along with other alleged similarities.
Sleigh Bells’ complaint, filed Monday in federal court in California, claims that the two songs’ similarities “transcend the realm of coincidence or shared generic material, and inform the very essence of the works.”
“Defendants did not seek or receive permission from Plaintiffs to copy, take, sample or interpolate any portion of ‘Infinity Guitars’ when creating ‘Stars,’” the suit reads. “Yet, Defendants exploited a material portion of ‘Infinity Guitars’ in constructing ‘Stars.’”
Last year, the producers of “Stars” denied that any samples were used in the song, and said that Lovato was also not involved with the production.
Alleging copyright infringement, the suit seeks unspecified damages.
A spokesperson for Lovato has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.