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Did Lil Wayne steal his hit song "Bedrock"? (Getty Images) Lil Wayne knows "How to Love." But according to a recently filed lawsuit, the rapper also allegedly knows a thing or two about stealing. A production company out of Georgia has sued Weezy for $15 million, claiming he stole the hit song "Bedrock." There's no word yet on what the "original" song sounds like -- though we have a good idea -- nor has Wayne commented on the allegations. But while we wait for his October 12 court date, here's a look back at four other artists who have run into plagiarism problems.
1. Coldplay - "Viva La Vida"
Despite how non-threatening their British accents make them, Coldplay was nevertheless sued by rock guitarist Joe Satriani back in 2009. The 54-year-old virtuoso claimed their pop-tastic song "Viva La Vida" incorporated "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly." When the two parties came to an undisclosed settlement, many wondered if this was an admission of guilt on Coldplay's part. But the British rockers never admitted to doing any wrong.
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Dani California"
"Dani California" was the band's third single to crack the Billboard Top 10. But it was the first one called out for plagiarism. After hitting the airwaves in 2006, a Delaware DJ pointed out the striking similarities between their new hit and Tom Petty's jam, "Last Dance With Mary Jane." Given that both songs were produced by the same man, it's not surprising that Petty toyed with the idea of filing a copyright lawsuit against the band. But in the end, the whole debate went up in smoke as Petty admitted that "a lot of rock 'n' roll songs sound alike."
3. The Strokes - "Last Nite"
Coldplay got sued for allegedly plagiarizing music, but they never admitted to doing any wrong. The Strokes, meanwhile, never had one lawyer knock on their doors, yet they've openly admitted to stealing a riff from Tom Petty's classic, "American Girl." In fact, The Strokes are so aware of the similarities that frontman Julian Casablancas will occasionally sing the words to "American Girl" in between his original lyrics. He even does this when they're live in concert, not just when he's in the shower singing to himself.
4. Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend"
Canadians may appear awkwardly nice all the time, but that doesn't mean they're afraid of a good old fashioned legal battle. So when Lavigne was sued by The Rubinoos -- a 70s power pop band best known for writing the theme song to Revenge of the Nerds -- do you think she gave in to their demands? Well... yes and no. She paid a team of cardigan-wearing lawyers to file mountains of paperwork, jot notes in legal pads, and ultimately get the band to settle for an undisclosed sum of money.
Does "Girlfriend" sounds exactly like The Rubinoos' 1979 hit "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"? Avril didn't think so. But you be the judge.
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These pop stars didn't just rule the Billboard charts, they conquered the big screen.
