Trending News|January 28, 2015 12:20 EST
Sam Smith Lawsuit News: Six-Time Grammy Nominee Settles Copyright Dispute for 'Stay With Me' Song
Over the past weekend, Sam Smith and Tom Petty's camp reached an amicable settlement regarding the copyright dispute over the similarities between the British artist's three-time Grammy-nominated "Stay With Me" and Petty's "I Won't Back Down," as first reported by The Sun.
The development came shortly after the publishers for the song "I Won't Back Down," written by Petty and Jeff Lynne, contacted publishers for Smith's hit record, which is written by James Napier, William Phillips, and Smith, about the similarities heard in the melodies of the respective songs' choruses, Smith's representative told Rolling Stone.
The same rep said that while Smith, Napier, and Phillips were not previously familiar with the 1989 Petty/Lynne hit, the songwriters for "Stay With Me" acknowledged the similarity.
"Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of "Stay With Me' along with Sam Smith, James Napier, and William Phillips," the rep added.
On the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers website, the songwriter information for "Stay With Me" has been updated to include Petty and Lynne.
Other reports have surfaced saying that the settlement allows Petty to receive a share of Smith's royalties for the song, but the Rolling Stone report says this part of the matter remains unclear.
There was also speculation on whether this development would now make Petty eligible for a Grammy. "Stay With Me" is nominated for three awards that include Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Senior vice president of Awards Bill Freimuth was quick to quash those rumors, though telling Wall Street Journal, "Since Lynne and Petty did not do any new writing for this work, we are considering their original work to have been interpolated by Napier, Phillips, and Smith for "Stay With Me'"
Adding, "Lynne and Petty will not be considered nominees nor will they be considered GRAMMY recipients, should the song win. Rather, they would be given certificates to honor their participation in the work, just as any other writers of sampled or interpolated work."
