Label Accuses Chris Brown of Copying Reggae Tune in Hit Song

Chris Brown is being sued by a U.K.-based record label that says the American singer ripped off one of its Jamaican dancehall tunes in his 2017 hit, “Privacy,” according to a complaint filed in New York.

Greensleeves Publishing Ltd filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, saying that Brown and Sony Music Entertainment, which produces Brown’s music, infringed its copyright for the tune “Tight Up Skirt” by the reggae artist Red Rat.

Greensleeves said Brown’s song “Privacy” contains a phrase that is the “core musical feature of ‘Tight Up Skirt’ and ...