Cameroon singer sues Jackson, Rihanna for musical hook
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 | 1:57 PM ET
CBC News
African musician Manu Dibango has launched a new copyright infringement lawsuit against Michael Jackson, this time adding chart-topping pop star Rihanna to the mix.
The acclaimed 75-year-old Cameroonian singer and saxophonist filed the lawsuit in Paris, where he is based, on Tuesday, according to Agence France-Presse.
He claims that portions of Rihanna's 2007 song Please Don't Stop The Music — which features a memorable musical hook and lyrics from Jackson's 1980s classic Wanna Be Startin' Something — too closely resemble the Duala chant in his 1972 song Soul Makossa.
Dibango's lawyers have called for the courts to block music labels Sony BMG, EMI and Warner from receiving any profits from either Rihanna or Jackson's songs until the case is settled.
The suit seeks damages of €500,000, or about $757,000 Cdn.
Dibango previously pursued legal action against Jackson over the issue and the two sides came to an undisclosed financial settlement out of court.
When Jackson permitted the sample from his song to be licensed for Rihanna's track, no one consulted or contacted Dibango, his lawyers said.
There was no comment from either Jackson or Rihanna.
The French court is scheduled to release a decision whether to hear Dibango's case on Feb. 17.
Share Tools
- Spider-Man trailer: fresh take or more of the same?by Arts Online Feb. 7, 2012 5:15 PM Spider-Man? Yes. Amazing? Maybe. The first full-length trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man -- the reboot of the comic-turned-movie trilogy -- has been released. But considering the previous movie franchise ended a mere five years ago and that we've been bombarded with stories about the troubled Broadway musical adaptation since then, this reboot does beg the question: Do we really need to revisit Spider-Man?
Top News Headlines
- Markets gain after Greece approves austerity plan
- World stock markets rise after Greece's parliament approves a new set of austerity measures that were required by international lenders in exchange for an emergency bailout. more »
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- The family of a young mother killed in a hit and run is outraged that the case against the alleged driver is among thousands in B.C. at risk of being thrown out because of a huge court backlog. more »
- CBC launches digital music service
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
- Neil Macdonald: The death penalty debate America isn't having
- Texas's death row archive is a troubling document, not the least for what it doesn't say about those who may be wrongfully convicted, Neil Macdonald writes. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Britain's BAFTAs honours The Artist
- Silent movie The Artist dominated the British Academy Film awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Oscars, winning seven awards, including best picture. more »
- Houston autopsy results withheld by police
- Whitney Houston was found in a hotel bathtub but it'll take weeks to determine precisely how she died, a Los Angeles coroner's official says. more »
- Whitney Houston's death sparks chorus of grief
- Regular music fans and superstar performers joined together in a chorus of grief upon hearing that Whitney Houston had died at age 48 on the eve of the Grammy Awards. more »
- CBC launches digital music service
- CBC is diving into the world of online music with the goal of providing listeners access to their favourite tunes and a way to discover new artists and connect with fellow music fans. more »
Q Blog
Enter our Six-Word Modern Love Story Contest! Feb. 10, 2012 2:54 PM The goal is simple: tell a full and rich modern love tale in just six words. Funny. Sad. Sexy. Or futuristic sexy, the kind with spaceships. Winners announced on Q's February 14th Modern Love special.
CBC Books
The web celebrates 200 years of Charles Dickens Feb. 10, 2012 7:13 PM The revered English novelist turns two centuries-old this week! See the online tributes and leave your birthday message for a chance to win a copy of Charles Dickens: A Life.
- Adele wins best album, best record Grammys
- Houston autopsy results withheld by police
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- Pop queen Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting
- Northern lights viewed from space
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV
- Doors blocked in fatal Manitoba trailer blaze
- Former Stanley Park petting zoo goats feared slaughtered

