The Borneo Post

U2 wins ‘Achtung Baby’ lawsuit

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NEW YORK: A US judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing U2 of lifting part of a British songwriter’s work for a song on the Irish rock band’s 1991 blockbuste­r album “Achtung Baby.”

US District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan rejected Paul Rose’s claim that U2 wilfully copied from a 13- second guitar riff near the start of his 1989 instrument­al “Nae Slappin,” to create a 12- second segment featuring a guitar solo for its song “The Fly.”

Rose, who lives in New York, claimed that U2 copied from his song “virtually note-for-note,” and also used a tambourine and the same drum, percussion and bass line without permission.

But the judge said the riff was not a “sufficient­ly substantia­l” portion of “Nae Slappin,” a 31/2-minute compositio­n that “demonstrat­es the plaintiff’s impressive guitar skills,” to be a protectabl­e “fragment” of the work.

She also said that even if the riff were protectabl­e, a reasonable jury could not fi nd that U2 copied it.

Rose had been seeking at least US$ 5 million in damages from U2 lead singer Bono; bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., and UMG Recordings Inc, a Vivendi SA unit that releases records under U2’s label Island Records.

He claimed he had given Island a demo tape of “Nae Slappin” that was later incorporat­ed into “The Fly.”

A lawyer for Rose did not immediatel­y respond to requests for comment. Lawyers for the defendants did not immediatel­y respond to similar requests. — Reuters

 ??  ?? U2’s The Edge (left) and Bono perform with Kendrick Lamar (not pictured) at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards show in New York on Sunday. — Reuters photo
U2’s The Edge (left) and Bono perform with Kendrick Lamar (not pictured) at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards show in New York on Sunday. — Reuters photo

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