Claim Against Bieber and Usher’s Hit Song Revived by 4th Cir. Appeals Court

A jury should decide whether the hit song “Somebody to Love” issued by Usher and Justin Bieber is substantially similar to a tune by a lesser-known R&B singer, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled June 18 (Copeland v. Bieber, 4th Cir., 14-1427, 6/18/15).

The appeals court vacated a district court’s dismissal of a copyright infringement claim against the pop stars and remanded it, saying that a reasonable jury could yet determine that the works were substantially similar.

Virginia R&B Singer Says Usher Copied Song.

Devin Copeland of Chesapeake, Va., is an R&B composer and ...