Cirque du Soleil has filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court against Justin Timberlake.
The former NSYNC singer is alleged to have ripped off a sample from one of Cirque du Soleil’s original compositions, with the theatrical behemoth seeking a minimum of $800,000 USD ($1.04 million AUD) in damages for copyright infringement.
According to court documents (via SMH), JT’s Don’t Hold The Wall, a song from his 2013 LP The 20/20 Experience, contains elements from a track composed by Benoit Jutras for a 1997 Cirque du Soleil stage show, called Steel Dreams.
The sample in question comes at the 4 minute mark in Timberlake’s track, and is being compared to the opening of Steel Dreams.
Listen below to compare for yourself.
Listen: Justin Timberlake – Don’t Hold The Wall
Listen: Cirque du Soleil – Steel Dreams
