Nickelback’s ‘Rockstar’ Suit Win Stands as Justices Pass on Case

Rock band Nickelback cemented its victory over copyright claims that its 2006 hit song “Rockstar” was copied from a Texas musician as the US Supreme Court declined to take the case.

A Texas court’s ruling that “Rockstar” isn’t strikingly similar to the band Snowblind Revival’s song “Rock Star” and band member Kirk Johnston failed to show Nickelback had ever heard his song was affirmed by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in February. Johnston’s claims of lyrical similarity amounted to replications of cliches about life as a rock star, the court’s three-judge panel said.

Johnston sued Nickelback’s ...