Justin Bieber, Skrillex sued in Nashville for copyright infringement

Pop stars Justin Bieber and Skrillex were sued in Nashville court this week for using a vocal riff by singer-songwriter Casey Dienel without permission.

Dienel, who performs under the name White Hinterland, said the Bieber and Skrillex song "Sorry" features a vocal riff by her in the same key and using the same notes as a riff in her song "Ring the Bell."

The lawsuit also names the co-writers, producer, record label and publishers for "Sorry" as defendants. Dienel is seeking unspecified damages.

White Hinterland's music was well received by critics, including taste-makers NPR and Pitchfork. She is signed to a record deal with Dead Oceans, which is an imprint on the indie label group Secretly Canadian. "Ring the Bell" has been streamed over 800,000 times, according to the lawsuit.

"This vocal riff — also referred to as a loop, chant, or hook — is crucial to the sound recording and composition of 'Ring the Bell,' creating the backbone for the composition and the song’s initial hook. After opening the song, the vocal riff repeats throughout, serving as a unifying thread for 'Ring the Bell,'" Dienel claims in the lawsuit.

Dienel, who is represented by Nashville attorney Howell O'Rear, claims that "Sorry" violates both her sound recording and composition copyrights.

"Sorry" has been critically acclaimed as well, even called by New York Times Magazine as the No. 1 influential song for the future of where pop music is going. Dienel claims that the striking similarities to her vocal riff "surpasses the realm of generic coincidence and independent creation." The song's video has over 1.4 billion plays on YouTube.

"Defendants sample Plaintiff’s 'Ring the Bell' for the first eight seconds of 'Sorry,' and, then, Defendants repeat Plaintiff’s 'Ring the Bell' (at various intervals throughout the song," the lawsuit says.

According to the suit, Dienel made multiple efforts to settle her copyright claims before filing her lawsuit. She included a music expert's report in a letter to Bieber's attorney that spelled out the infringement, according to the lawsuit.

"Despite multiple requests for a response and a phone call confirming that the letter had been received, Bieber ignored (Dienel's) claims and refused to engage in any dialogue regarding a resolution of these claims," the lawsuit says.

Stacey Barchenger contributed to this story.

Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and on Twitter @tnnaterau.