Federal Appeals Court Rejects Lawsuit Claiming Nickelback’s ‘Rockstar’ Was Copied, Citing Use of Rockstar Clichés

A federal appeals court in Texas has dismissed a copyright lawsuit against the band Nickelback, ruling that they cannot be sued for using “clichés” and singing about being a rockstar. The lawsuit claimed that the band’s hit song “Rockstar” from their 2005 album “All the Right Reasons” was a rip-off of an earlier song called “Rock Star.” However, the court determined that the songs were not similar enough for the lawsuit to proceed. The lead singer of Texas band Snowblind Revival, Kirk Johnston, filed the lawsuit in May 2020, alleging that Nickelback had stolen substantial … Read more