For entertainers and musicians, the songs they write are incredibly valuable. A hit song can change someone’s life. If another artist steals that song and copies it, it could be an intellectual property violation that costs the original artist a significant amount of money and could even affect their reputation or career.
But what if there are two songs that simply use the same chord progression? Is that enough for a lawsuit?
More similarities are typically needed
No, just having the same chord progression usually is not enough for a lawsuit over copyright infringement. There have to be more similarities, such as clear connections in the lyrics, melody or other distinctive elements of the song. Vocals that are sung in a similar melody over the same chords may constitute plagiarism, but simply using the same chords in two songs is not usually enough on its own.
After all, there are only so many chord progressions, and many popular songs use the same ones. A common example is the 1-5-6-4 progression, or I–V–vi–IV. You can play this in different keys, but a common example on guitar is the chord progression C–G–A minor–F. This is often considered one of the most important chord progressions in pop music and can be found in songs by countless artists who have appeared on modern radio over the past few decades.
This means that copyright infringement cases over music can get very complicated. What exactly makes two songs too similar to coexist? How different do they need to be? Where is the line between being influenced by previous work and copying it?
When asking these questions and navigating a court case, it can help to work with an experienced legal team.