Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck finally hit back legally against the folklorist who accused them of plagiarizing one of their songs' lyrics.
Nearly three months since Depp and Beck hit a glitch due to a stolen poem accusation, the duo filed a lawsuit against the folklorist as they called the accuser's move as a cash grab.
As reported by a news outlet, Depp and Beck sued folklorist Bruce Jackson who claimed that they stole the lyrics of their song "Sad Motherf*****g Parade" from the 1974 book about toasts, "Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me."
Slim Wilson penned the poem "Hobo Ben" for Jackson's book.
Per the lawsuit, the claims have no clear origins. Depp and Beck also quoted Jackson's previous statement that the poem was "passed down" like an old folktale.
Thus, it does not belong to anyone. However, Jackson reportedly claimed he was the rightful owner although he knew he could not own a copyright to the aforesaid old folktale.
With that, Depp and Beck are seeking damages and for a judge to declare they did not commit any copyright infringement.
What Did Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck Reportedly Plagiarize?
The new development came months after Rolling Stone shared an article exploring Wilson's poem and the duo's song, "Sad Motherf---in' Parade."
The lines in "Hobo Ben" go: "'Ladies of culture and beauty so refined, is there one among you that would grant me wine?/I'm raggedy I know, but I have no stink/and God bless the lady that'll buy me a drink.'/Heavy-hipted Hattie turned to Nadine with a laugh/and said, 'What that funky motherf***** really need, child, is a bath.'"
Three lines from the poem reportedly appeared in the song. At that time, Jackson highlighted that the musicians added nothing but the lines "Big time motherf*****" and "Bust it down to my level" in their alleged pursuit to claim the lyrics as if they wrote them.
Michael Lee Jackson, the author's son and a lawyer who specializes in music property said that they were looking into possible legal options, but no actions were filed at that time.
Depp and Beck collaborated in their joint album, "18," which they released in July after dropping their first single, "This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr."
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