Coldplay have denied plagiarising a 2004 instrumental song by virtuoso guitarist Joe Satriani for their hit song ‘Viva La Vida’.
Reuters reports that Satriani filed a copyright infringement suit in Los Angeles last Thursday, which claimed that ‘Viva La Vida’ incorporates "substantial original portions" of his 2004 song "If I Could Fly”.
Satriani is seeking a jury trial, damages and "any and all profits" attributable to the alleged copyright infringement.
Coldplay have rejected the allegations.
In a website posting, they said: "If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental and just as surprising to us as to him," the band said in a posting on its website.
"Joe Satriani is a great musician but he did not write or have any influence on the song 'Viva La Vida'. We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavors."
