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Justin Bieber, Skrillex sued over ‘Sorry’ song

Published 8:20 pm Saturday, May 28, 2016

By August Brown Los Angeles Times

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 file photo, Justin Bieber arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. A singer songwriter has sued Bieber and Skrillex for copyright infringement over their multi-platinum song, “Sorry.” Casey Dienel, who performs under the name White Hinterland, filed suit against the two performers as well as their publishing companies, Universal Music and co-writers in federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, which claims that “Sorry” uses a vocal riff from her song “Ring the Bell.” (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015 file photo, Justin Bieber arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. A singer songwriter has sued Bieber and Skrillex for copyright infringement over their multi-platinum song, “Sorry.” Casey Dienel, who performs under the name White Hinterland, filed suit against the two performers as well as their publishing companies, Universal Music and co-writers in federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, which claims that “Sorry” uses a vocal riff from her song “Ring the Bell.” (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Justin Bieber and his producer Skrillex have been sued over the prominent vocal hook that opens his smash hit “Sorry.”

Casey Dienel, a singer/producer who records as White Hinterland, has filed suit against Bieber and Skrillex claiming that the duo used a prominent element of her single “Ring the Bell” without permission or compensation.

“As many of you that follow my career and work have already recognized, Justin Bieber’s song ‘Sorry’ copies the vocal riff prominently featured in my song ‘Ring the Bell.’ The writers, producers and performers of ‘Sorry’ did not obtain a license for this exploitation of my work, nor did they obtain or seek my permission,” she wrote on Facebook.

She continued: “Like most artists that sample music, Bieber could have licensed my song for use in ‘Sorry.’ But he chose not to contact me. After the release of ‘Sorry,’ my lawyers sent Bieber a letter regarding the infringement, but Bieber’s team again chose to ignore me. I offered Bieber’s team an opportunity to have a private dialogue about the infringement, but they refused to even acknowledge my claim, despite the obviousness of the sample.”

Representatives for Bieber and Skrillex did not immediately comment or provide a statement on the suit. Dienel did not say what she will be seeking in compensation.

According to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Nashville.

“I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into writing and producing ‘Ring the Bell,’ and I am proud of the finished product,” she wrote. “Throughout my career, I have worked very hard to preserve my independence and creative control, thus it came as a shock to hear my work used and exploited without permission.”

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