Bad news for Coldplay, the super successful British rock group. The band was sued on Thursday for copyright infringement by famous rock guitarist Joe Satriani. In the complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, Satriani claims that the Coldplay song “Viva la Vida” (the title track of the band’s fourth album) incorporates “substantial original portions” of his 2004 song entitled “If I Could Fly” from his album “Is There Love in Space?”
All four of the band’s members – singer Chris Martin (husband of Gwyneth Paltrow), bass player Guy Berryman, guitarist Johnny Buckland, and drummer Will Champion – received a writing credit on the song.
Satriani has requested a jury trial, damages and “any and all profits” attributable to the alleged copyright infringement.
“Viva la Vida” has been a huge hit for the Grammy-award winning band. On Wednesday night, the band was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including a Song of the Year nomination for “Viva la Vida.”