James Arthur has been sued for copyright infringement by The Script.
In a suit filed by attorney Richard Busch, the Irish band are alleging that Arthur’s 2016 song ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ infringes on the copyright of The Script’s ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, which was released in 2008.
The suit filed by Busch – who successfully represented the estate of the late Marvin Gaye in the infamous ‘Blurred Lines’ trial – argues that Arthur generated £14.8 million ($20 million) from a song which allegedly rips off The Script’s track, which was written by the band’s Danny O’Donoghue and Mark Sheehan along with songwriters Andrew Frampton and Stephen Kipner.
As well as Arthur, ‘Say You Won’t Let Go”s songwriters Neil Ormandy and Steve Solomon have been named among the co-defendants – along with Sony/ATV Publishing, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Ultra International Music Publishing, Third Verse Music Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing.
You can hear the two songs below, starting with Arthur’s ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’.
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Providing a statement to Billboard, Busch argued that Arthur’s track – which was seen as his comeback moment following a number of years away from the spotlight – had reignited his career.
“It’s widely known Mr. Arthur was dropped by his record label for public controversies, which caused a break in his career,” he said. “It wasn’t until the release of ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ that he achieved worldwide success.”
Arthur spoke out on the supposed similarities between the two songs in an interview with The Sun last year, claiming that he had “no case” to answer.
The lawyer is requesting a jury trial and seeking statutory damages over the track on behalf of The Script.