KEY POINTS:
American rocker Jon Bon Jovi is reportedly being sued for US$400 billion by a musician who claims he used his lyrics without permission.
Boston-based musician Samuel Steele claims Jovi plagiarised his 2004 song (Man I Really) Love This Team, according to celebrity gossip website TMZ.com.
Steele, front man of a band called The Chelsea City Council, alleges Jovi heard his song while campaigning for presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, then used the track's lyrics to create his 2007 song I Love This Town.
The musician calls Jovi's composition an "unauthorised derivative version" of his song in a federal suit.
"I know I'm the little fish and they're the big fish, but they f***ed with the wrong piranha. I want credit, acknowledgement and an apology. I know that I'm right," said Steele.
Steele adds, "As intent will be easy to prove, we are seeking the statutorily authorised amount of $100,000 per CD sold. Just under 4 million CDs have been sold to date. This totals almost $400 billion."
A spokesperson for Jon Bon Jovi said they hadn't seen the lawsuit yet.
- NZ HERALD ONLINE
