US appeals court backs The Weeknd in song-theft dispute with British songwriters
The Ninth Circuit appeals court in the US has declined to overturn a judgement in a lower court that dismissed a song-theft claim against The Weeknd by British songwriters Brian Clover, Scott McCulloch and Billy Smith. The Weeknd – real name Abel Tesfaye – was accused of ripping off the trio’s song ‘I Need To Love’ on his 2016 track ‘A Lonely Night’.The British songwriters theorised that The Weeknd and his creative collaborators had got access to their earlier song via Universal Music Publishing.