Coldplay vs. Satriani

After apparently being ignored following previous requests for an explanation, Joe Satriani has taken Coldplay court to sue for damages resulting from the likeness of his tune If I Could Fly and Coldplay´s Viva La Vida. There is certainly more than just a passing resemblance, with the chord structure, tempo and part of the melody being practically identical.

Problem is, Creaking Boards had exactly the same complaint about the same song six months ago and there are videos going around YouTube containing mashups of other songs that run along similar lines. I think it was stupid of Coldplay to ignore previous requests, especially since they have used a Kraftwerk riff for the main melody line of Talk, but will Joe´s argument stand up in court?