Coldplay accused of plagiarism

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued Coldplay, accusing the Grammy-nominated stars of plagiarizing one of his songs.

Satriani's copyright infringement suit, filed on Thursday in Los Angeles federal court, claims the Coldplay song "Viva La Vida" incorporates "substantial original portions" of his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly."

The 52-year-old guitar virtuoso is seeking a jury trial, damages and "any and all profits" attributable to the alleged copyright infringement.

Coldplay, whose soaring atmospheric tunes are often compared to those of Irish rock band U2, received seven Grammy nominations on Wednesday, second only to rapper Lil Wayne.

Among its mentions were nominations in the key record and song of the year categories for "Viva La Vida," which comes from the band's chart-topping album "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends."

The song is credited to the band's four members, singer Chris Martin; bass player Guy Berryman; guitarist Johnny Buckland; and drummer Will Champion. The title was inspired by a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

The Satriani track comes from his album "Is There Love in Space?" Further comment from Satriani's attorney, or reaction from Coldplay's management was not immediately available.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Todd Eastham)

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