Skrillex and Justin Bieber are being sued over ‘Sorry’

by: Eric Zwilling May 26, 2016

Indie artist White Hinderland is pursuing legal action for copyright infringement against Justin Bieber and his single “Sorry,” which Skrillex produced. TMZ reports that the suit is over the use of a vocal sample and the general composition of the track in its independent parts, though we were unable to locate the court documents for the case at this time.

The use of White Hinderland’s vocal sample, originally from the track “Ring the Bell,” is clear in “Sorry,” but music law is a ferocious beast that involves many moving parts. Hinderland claims she sent Bieber’s team a notice of her distaste for the situation closer to the track’s release, but has waited until now to follow through with legal action.

Before we jump to conclusions, it is important to note that even direct copying is not an easy case. The Fair Use defense sure to be raised by the defendant’s legal counsel will take many factors into account, likely revolving around the transformative nature of “Sorry” from “Ring the Bell,” the minimal amount of “Ring the Bell” that was copied, and the presumably non-existent market effect Bieber’s song has on “Ring the Bell.” While it would be impossible for us to speculate the outcome of this case, we can confidently say that this issue may not be as clear-cut as many publications have branded it.

Do you think the two sound alike?