The Hives Sued Over Plagiarism Claims
Published Wednesday, 29th October, 2008 at 12:55 PM
The Hives are being sued over claims they stole a riff from another songwriter on their popular song 'Tick Tick Boom'.
Jason Shapiro says the Swedish rockers have been influenced by his track 'Why You?', which has been recorded by two bands in the last 11 years - the Roofies and Three Way.
Shapiro told LA Weekly he enlisted the help of a musicologist to compare his track with the offending Hives song.
"He [the musicologist] said the part in question - the main riff and vocal melody - was very similar and its uniqueness led him to believe it wasn't just a coincidence." Says Shapiro.
"He also runs it through a background test seeing if any charts from previous songs are close and we were clear on that front."
Jason told the publication: "I also feel credit is due where it is due if you borrow a riff."
