Have you been following the story about Coldplay being accused of using portions of a Joe Satriani song on Viva La Vida?

I have. And wow, it looks like much of the melody for the song Viva La Vida is a direct lift of Satriani’s If I Could Fly. Check out Exhibit A:

Satriani’s convinced that Coldplay’s song is a direct copy, and having heard the YouTube version above, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

But every time a case of plagiarism arises, I’m reminded of a time a few years ago when I was in a band and thought I’d come up with a pretty neat little acoustic riff. I was playing it for the band, and the drummer chimed in “I didn’t know you were learning that Chili Peppers song.” So I swore at him a little bit and was convinced he was winding me up. Until he played the song for me later, and it was almost note for note what I ‘thought’ I’d written.

The catch is, maybe something you’ve heard in the past comes out in your songwriting. It isn’t necessarily plagiarism, maybe a pattern of notes triggers some memory and you’re suddenly playing a riff that feels right but blissfully unaware you’re ‘stealing’ someone else’s copyrighted melody.

I’m neither defending Coldplay nor accusing them. It looks like the courts will ultimately decide how this situation will pan out. Satriani, however, claims he tried to be reasonable with the band, but his requests apparently fell on deaf ears:

"I did everything I could to avoid a court case with this situation," Satriani told Music Radar. "But Coldplay didn’t want to talk about it. They just wanted this whole thing to go away. Maybe they figured this little guitar player guy will leave them alone after a while, I don’t know."

Anyway, I have a few thoughts about this kind of copyright case. I may be right or wrong – and I’ll rely on you guys to keep me right – but:

1. It is possible that two (or more) people might create the same melody, but never be aware of it.
2. It isn’t fair to claim that someone can own the right to a particular sequence of chords or notes, just because they copyrighted it first. Can you imagine the person who invented the generic 12-bar blues riff going on a legal rampage to get royalties from everybody who ever used that sequence? Aerosmith, Status Quo, and any number of bands you’d care to name would be facing huge (and unreasonable) payouts.
3. Isn’t music about inspiration? How many bands claim to be influenced by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. How many 60’s bands were inspired by the old Delta bluesmen? Robert Johnson and all those other good men who sold their souls to the devil in return for the riffs that are the cornerstone of modern rock? What’s wrong with re-using a melody somewhere else, as long as the original artist is credited?
4. Does Satriani stand to get a huge payout over this? Well, yes, if the courts rule in his favour. But doesn’t something stink if the artist is more interested in getting paid than getting recognized for his work? Or does that matter in this day and age? (I’m not suggesting Satriani just wants paid out of this, I’m generalising)

So, what’s your take on not just the Coldplay/Satriani story, but on the larger copyright issue? Does an artist deserve to ‘own’ a particular sequence of notes, or should copyright law be tempered to be less about remuneration and more about proper credit for the original artist?