The music world was stunned earlier this week as the classic pop/rock group Fleetwood Mac announced that they were sueing teen sensations NSYNC for the sum of 4.6 million dollars, citing copyright infringement. Also named in the suit were Jive Records and NSYNC's management company, WEG.
Lawyers for Fleetwood Mac claim that NSYNC has been ripping off all that they made famous, from the songs to the personalities to the legendary sexcapades of the band members, which were all copyrighted back in 1976.
NSYNC member Joey Fatone, named in the suit for stealing Stevie Nick's monkier of "group slut," was unaware of what was going on. "Man, I didn't know you could copyright a personality," said Fatone in a statement released by Jive. "But I don't mind being compared to [Nicks]. She was hot back in the day."
Mick Fleetwood explained the situation in a preliminary hearing held Thursday. "Back then, we were something new, a group like no one had seen before, with fighting and incest and lots of sex. People like sex. We figured that there would be many imitators, and we just couldn't have all kinds of groups running around trying to be like us, like those Gallagher blokes. It's embarassing. So we copyrighted ourselves. I even have a copyright on the mole on my lower left ankle. So if anyone tries to copy that, I'm covered. And it worked out great, until NSYNC came along."
Other members of NSYNC are cited as having personalties that match the members of Fleetwood Mac a little too closely for their management's liking. Justin Timberlake is charged with being the group's talent, not much unlike Mac's guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. Quiet and sensitive Lance Bass is comparitive to Christine McVie. JC Chasez finds himself being cracked down upon for being too much like the mentor and older statesman of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood. And finally, Chris Kirkpatrick finds himself in the same company as John McVie, the member of the band which, when asked on the street, fans have the most trouble naming.
Besides stealing personalities, NSYNC is also charged with stealing song ideas and ripping off basic concepts. Said Buckingham about the new CD, No Strings Attached, "Basically, they just stole our entire Rumours album and tailored it to their own audience pretty much just by making it crappy. And that one guy, the skinny one? He reminds me a lot of Stevie, with the way he just prances around onstage in weird costumes. I just wish they'd get their own gig instead of ripping off ours. If it were a group like Def Leopard or Winger, we might be a little lenient, but this is just out of control."
Chasez was unable to be reached for comment, but he did release this statement through Jive. "Growing up in a strict Mennonite household where classic rock like Ted Nugent was the one string holding it all together, I find myself deeply saddened that one of the greatest groups of all time believes that we have stolen their image and songs. There have been times when I found myself listening to their CD's as I write, but I assure you, I would not steal from anyone. Not even Stevie, and I relate to her songs the most. People may allegedly be comparing her to Joey, but well, we have a lot of the same issues we go through each day." He did not elaborate on these "issues" further, although he did include a song entitled "Lady, I Am The Gypsy King," dedicated to Nicks, the contents of which have not been released to the press at this time.
Marsha Clark, representing the members of Fleetwood Mac at the hearing on Thursday, alledges that several of the songs on the new NSYNC CD, bear striking resemblances to some of the songs released over Mac's illustrious career, spanning many years. In the courtroom, Clark played NSYNC and Mac songs back to back, some together, to show the similarities between the two. Songs named include the hit "Bye Bye Bye," which was compared to the Buckingham penned "Go Your Own Way," and there was no mistaking the simlarities between the trippy "Space Cowboy" and "Gold Dust Woman." "I think my strongest piece of evidence came when I had the court listen to 'Digital Getdown' and 'Oh Daddy'," said Clark as she left the courtroom. "I mean, I know 'Oh Daddy' was a sweet song written for Mick [Fleetwood] by Christine [McVie], but hell, half the band was sleeping with each other, so why couldn't they have been boinking too? There's no ignoring the fact that if the two songs are about sex, and I know that made a big impact with everyone in the courtroom."
We'll keep you updated as the trial progresses over the next few weeks.